30 university presidents confirmed to talk at HKUST 25th anniversary event

Times Higher Education (THE), the rankings and education event organiser, is set to stage its inaugural Asia Universities Summit at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The event, which takes place 20 to 21 June, is part of HKUST’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Dr Eden Woon, HKUST vice-president for institutional advancement, says the Summit will bring together members of government, industry leaders, and presidents and senior leaders from prominent and influential universities around the world.

Thirty university presidents will speak at this all-presidents event. “It’s extremely rare to have so many university presidents speaking at one event, and this will be a first for the THE World Summit Series,” notes Woon. The fact that all the presidents are travelling to Hong Kong to visit us shows the importance they place on their relationship with the HKUST, Woon says.  “We see this as recognition of the HKUST as a truly international university, with a name, influence and impact that spreads all over the world,” he notes.

The Summit will also include an exclusive first-look at the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings results, and a masterclass with rankings editor Phil Baty. The Asia Universities Summit forms part of Times Higher Education’s growing World Summit Series, which includes the Young Universities Summit, the BRICS & Emerging Economies Summit, and the flagship World Academic Summit. According to Times Higher Education, the intention is to partner with some of the world’s most exciting, innovative and prestigious higher education institutions.

Keynote speakers appearing at this Summit include Chuanzhi Liu, chairman of the board of Legend Holdings Corporation and the founder of computer manufacturing company Lenovo, and Wei Yang, president of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Nicholas W. Yang, the Hong Kong government secretary for innovation and technology, will open the Summit.

Woon says the slogan for the 25th anniversary, “Innovating Today, Imagining Tomorrow”, is a timely theme which reflects the fact that the issues facing academia at tertiary level are often shared. Topics in the presentation include how universities balance basic and applied research, and discussions on whether different cultures have an impact on innovation. The presentation will discuss whether young universities (those which were founded up to 50 years ago) have any advantages over universities with an established heritage.