The inaugural opening ceremony for the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) programme jointly offered by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Tsinghua University was held on 24 August in Beijing. In his address at the ceremony, Professor Way Kuo, CityU President, encouraged students to address social responsibilities when doing business.
Guests attending the ceremony included President Kuo; Professor Yan Houmin, Acting Dean of CityU’s College of Business (CB); Professor Yang Bin, Vice-President of Tsinghua University; Professor Jiang Xiaojuan, Dean of the School of Public Policy and Administration at Tsinghua University; Dr Zhao Baige, Chairman of the Expert Committee of International Think Tank under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Mr Wang Tianyi, Chief Executive Officer of China Everbright International Limited; and Mr Han Zhifeng, Vice-Director of the Department of Fixed Asset Investment at the National Development and Reform Commission under the State Council. Professor Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, was unable to attend the ceremony because of a business trip.
President Kuo discussed at the ceremony the MPA+MBA programme’s integrated principles of righteousness and profit by citing Mencius’ maxim, “Why must we only speak of profit? We should also have moral standards and righteousness.”
Moreover, President Kuo said besides pursuing profit, business executives should undertake social responsibility and contribute to society. In addition to providing services, governments or public administration organisations should consider cost, economic efficiency and sustainable operations. Green management, for example, was an important topic for sustainable development, he said.
The double master’s MPA +EMBA programme was jointly developed by CityU’s CB and Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Administration. It will be taught by faculty members from both universities. The first cohort comprises 33 students from Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan and other Asian countries. The students include senior government officials, senior executives of government-owned enterprises and publicly listed companies in a range of industries, including finance, investment, construction and logistics.
As a pioneer in promoting public-private partnership (PPP), CityU has signed a collaborative agreement with Tsinghua University and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva. The MPA +EMBA programme is a project under this agreement. With UNECE support, part of the programme will be conducted in the UN Switzerland Headquarters. Students will also visit other countries and areas to experience the best PPP practices.
