City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is the first university to establish University Day (U-Day) in Hong Kong. The event, to be held on the third Friday of March every year, will spotlight our successes in professional education and problem-driven research, and let members of the community know about the giant strides that CityU has taken in recent years as well as the accolades it has won for its innovative strategic direction.
The inaugural U-Day 2022 held at CityU on 18 March also introduced a new University Mascot, a fresh version of the University Anthem, and a series of celebratory activities.
Nearly 300 staff members, students, alumni and supporters participated in the virtual inauguration ceremony, which was held online to maintain social distancing. Mr Lester Garson Huang, CityU Council Chairman, President Way Kuo, and the management team officiated at the event.
“University Day is one of many recently launched strategic developments at CityU aimed at pursuing excellence in higher education,” said Mr Huang, in his opening remarks. “It will serve as a platform for us to herald the achievements of our hard-working students, our world-class researchers, and our incredible supporters.”
President Kuo said, “U-Day aims to communicate to the community more about our very special brand, and share and celebrate CityU’s remarkable accomplishments.”
Debuting at the ceremony was our much-anticipated University Mascot, which is the embodiment of CityU’s primary qualities, which are to be wise, vital, vigorous, strong and proactive, like a tiger. These traits are evident in the forward-looking way that we pursue world-class research and education. They echo our aspirations to venture beyond boundaries and to overcome challenges. Moreover, as is befitting a leading global university, they embody our commitment to connecting with the community and attracting further community support for advancement.
President Kuo raised the idea of designing a mascot for the U-Day Inauguration Ceremony. The Senate subsequently endorsed the plan to adopt a tiger as the University Mascot on 9 November 2021, and reported this initiative to Council. The University Mascot will appear at various activities and in different communications, continually promoting our special brand and characteristics. 3D and other versions will be launched in the future.
Another highlight of the ceremony was the first public airing of part 2 of the University Anthem. Part 2 is named “Knowledge and Wisdom” and has the same melody as part 1, which was named “Beyond Boundaries” when it was introduced last year. With new lyrics penned by President Kuo, part 2 encapsulates our aspirations to integrate teaching and research, and our determination to stay focused on education. Both the first and second parts of the Anthem capture our central character and ethos, singing out our special features, values and aspirations.
CityU is committed to professional education and problem-oriented research, on a par with other world-class universities. U-Day also showcases how we conceptualise higher education through ideas such as advocating the “integration of teaching and research” and the “separation of politics and education”. In addition to software and hardware, we build “soulware”, and we pursue excellence, advocate innovation, creativity and originality, lead society, and encourage entrepreneurship.
At the same time, U-Day shone the spotlight on new initiatives like:
- HK Tech 300 and HK Tech Tiger
- our world-class breakthroughs in research, especially our landmark achievements in veterinary medicine and life sciences
- large-scale construction projects like the Jockey Club One Health Tower; our veterinary teaching farm at Lam Tsuen, Tai Po; the HK Tech International Centre; the student hostels at Whitehead, Ma On Shan and Tat Hong Avenue; and HK Tech Lodge
- cutting-edge materials research at the CityU Shenzhen Futian Research Institute
- activities organised by the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study
- the recruitment of diversified global talent
- the pursuit of academic knowledge in the spirit of “excellence in both academics and sports” and the “Six Arts” from Classical China.
We would like to give a big thank you to everybody involved for transforming U-Day and all the associated celebratory programmes during the last week into such a wonderful success!
We hope that U-Day 2023 will be held in person when life returns to normal!
To know more, please refer to the website: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/U-Day/
