Senior appointment
Professor Lee Chin-chuan, Professor (Chair) of Communication, has been appointed as Acting Head of the Department of Media and Communication with effect from 1 October 2008 until further notice. Professor Lee received his PhD from University of Michigan and joined CityU in September 2002.

Information Day
Information Day 2008, an annual event offering an excellent opportunity for prospective students and the general public to learn more about the academic programmes, study opportunities and campus life at CityU, will take place on 11 October. An extensive array of briefing sessions on different programmes, exhibitions, campus tours and video shows for visitors will be available. A highlight of this year's event will be the introduction of six new programmes for the 2009–10 intake, which span the fields of quantitative finance and risk management, marketing information management, cultural and heritage management, environmental policy studies, total quality engineering and digital media broadcasting.

Long-serving staff honoured
CityU prides itself on the loyalty of its staff, acknowledging that many achievements are due to the dedicated service of committed colleagues. At the Long Service Award Ceremony to be held on 21 October, more than 260 staff members who have served the University for 10, 15, 20 or 25 years will be honoured. The ceremony is organised by the Human Resources Office.

China Hi-Tech Fair
China's largest and most influential science and technology exhibition, the 10th China Hi-Tech Fair, will be held from 12–17 October at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre. CityU will showcase its strength in applied research with a display of around 30 hi-tech research projects, including those from the Shenzhen applied research centres. The projects cover a range of disciplines, from electronics and information, biomedical, new materials, to environmental protection. The Technology Transfer Office and the Shenzhen Research Institute coordinated the participation in the exhibition.

Constitution conference
The School of Law is staging a conference on "Constitutionalism in China in the past 100 years and its future" from 17–18 October. Renowned speakers from the UK, US, Australia, Japan, Singapore, mainland China and Taiwan are invited to discuss constitutionalism in China and a comparative study of constitutionalism and its implications for China.

National education forum
The Governance in Asia Research Centre will organise a roundtable forum entitled "National Identity and National Education in Hong Kong" on 11 October in conjunction with SynergyNet. The forum, the third in a series of public policy roundtables, aims to provide a platform for informed policy discussions among governments, politicians, think tanks, academics, business and civil society so as to generate more diverse views and enrich the policy-making process. Professor Martin Painter, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, will deliver the welcome address.

Best paper award
Dr Yanni Yan Mingping, Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing, received the Best Paper Award in the Transformation, Change and Organisational Development Track of the British Academy of Management 2008 Annual Conference, for her paper "Business Reinvestment as Corporate Development and Control Factors in Sino-Foreign Firms". The conference was held in Harrogate, England, from 9–11 September.

Volunteer award
Joe Kwok Lai-yi, a Year 3 student from the Department of Marketing, was named the Hong Kong Outstanding Youth Volunteer at the Hong Kong Outstanding Youth Volunteers Scheme 2008–09, organised by the Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service of the Social Welfare Department, HKSAR Government. She will be one of the Hong Kong delegates to promote voluntary service.

Marathon
A CityU Delegation will take part in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2009. Staff and their dependants, students and alumni are encouraged to take part. University President Professor Way Kuo will be the Head of the CityU Delegation and officiate at the launch ceremony on 8 October at the Classical Chinese Serial Bell, Green Zone, University Concourse.

Athletic meet
The 15th CityU Annual Athletic Meet, jointly organised by the Physical Education Section of Student Development Services and Students' Union and sponsored by Cultural and Sports Committee, will be held on 19 October at the Joint Sports Centre, Renfrew Road. The deadline for registration is 9 October and is open to all students, full-time staff and their dependant children. For details, visit http://www.cityu.edu.hk/sds/pes/athletic/athletic.htm.