City University of Hong Kong (CityU) conferred honorary doctorates on two distinguished persons on 4 November in recognition of their significant contributions to education and the well-being of society.
The distinguished persons are:
- Professor Evelyn L. Hu, Tarr-Coyne Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Science at the John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science of Harvard University; and
- Dr John Maeda, Vice-President of Design and AI at Microsoft.
Dr Chung Shui-ming, Pro-Chancellor, presided over the ceremony. Mr Lester Garson Huang, Council Chairman, President Way Kuo of CityU, and Mr Charles Chin Ying-on, Council Treasurer, were also in attendance.
President Kuo pointed out in his address that Professor Hu and Dr Maeda are both internationally recognised in their areas of specialisation.
“As role models, the two Honorary Doctors will inspire our students to get the performances they deserve for the careers they aspire to, and will encourage our faculty to reach beyond boundaries in their pursuit of excellence in research,” he said.
Reflecting on CityU’s recent successes, President Kuo said he was delighted that the two honorary awardees had joined the greater CityU at an extremely exciting stage in the University’s development, adding that their support would go a long way to endorsing CityU’s mission.
In her address, Professor Hu mentioned that CityU, Dr Maeda and herself shared a “Type O” character, i.e. having a broad compatibility to reconcile differences that allows them to build understanding and marshal collective talent and resources in order to address major societal, scientific and technological challenges.
“CityU has sought to embrace new ideas in innovation, entrepreneurship, and One Health. That striving for innovation, excellence, and harmony has recently led to CityU’s identification by Times Higher Education as one of the top 100 universities in the world,” Professor Hu said.
Dr Maeda said in his address that he had lived most of his life at the intersection of worlds and had had the opportunity to see across and serve as a bridge between different points of view. He also shared that Hong Kong was a “Type O” community of ever-expanding intersectionalities.
“The fact that Hong Kong has retained the ability to function so well over many decades is a testament to its first-rate intelligence as embodied by the faculty, staff and students at City University of Hong Kong,” Dr Maeda said.
