Latest news with #XiangZhang
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
It's our ‘internal strength': University of Hong Kong head on top rankings
The president of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has expressed hopes the institution will rank among the world's top 10 before his term ends in 2028 after it rose to 11th place in a global league table, saying it was vital for the varsity to contribute to the country's talent development. In an exclusive interview with the Post, president Xiang Zhang said he was 'very happy' about HKU's latest advancement in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rankings. He said the achievement was a reflection of the 'internal strengths' of the institution, akin to developing internal discipline and dedication in martial arts, as he noted a good ranking was a 'by-product' of the university's efforts to build up its academic excellence over the years. 'When your internal strengths build up, your appearance, muscles and everything show up, so ranking is appearance, but your internal strength is what HKU and I myself really focus on, the academic strengths and the quality, all of these matters,' he said. Zhang said he liked to read martial arts novels like those by the late Hong Kong wuxia novelist Louis Cha Leung-yung, also known as Jin Yong, which reminded him that internal strengths were critical to building one's reputation and standing. Asked whether he was confident HKU could make it to the top 10 during his term, Zhang was optimistic, saying 'I hope so' three times.
South China Morning Post
24-06-2025
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Embrace AI in teaching to survive ‘tsunami', University of Hong Kong head says
Universities should embrace the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching if they want to survive, the president of Hong Kong's oldest tertiary education institution has said, as he expects the sector to be reshaped in the coming decade. Xiang Zhang from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) also said it would establish a school of government and public policy to attract young leaders to Hong Kong. In an exclusive interview with the Post, Zhang said AI presented a huge opportunity and a challenge because universities could no longer simply feed students knowledge amid an 'AI tsunami'. 'Now students have many other alternatives. They can have AI teachers from the internet who could be better than some of our teachers, so we're going to compete with AI basically in terms of the avenue of acquiring knowledge,' he said. 'So can teachers be better equipped with AI tools so students can more easily absorb the materials and content?' Zhang added that institutions would be left behind if they did not embrace change.
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong will reel in talent due to geopolitics but won't exploit tensions: university chief
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is not about to 'take advantage' of international students and scholars facing difficulties in the United States but it will just focus on welcoming and nurturing talent, its head has said, revealing it was handling over 100 transfer applications. Vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang, a renowned scientist, told the Post that HKU should 'rise above the storm' to promote international collaboration via technology and tackle global challenges and not be deterred by geopolitical tensions. Zhang also expressed confidence in the future of Hong Kong, which he said should leverage its advantages under the governing principle of 'one country, two systems' to contribute to developing China into a strong nation. The 61-year-old school president, who spent almost three decades in US academia before taking on his current role at Hong Kong's oldest university in 2018, hoped HKU would go 'from strength to strength', but stressed that it should always 'take the high road' to success, not profit from the ills of others. 'Any top university wants to be better. They will focus on talent building, not because of geopolitics,' he said in an exclusive interview. 'Maybe some people take that as a convenient advantage, but HKU would rather take that as, I would say, we welcome the talent.'
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Study in Hong Kong' brand boosted by rise in world rankings
University rankings are increasingly important for students, institutions and communities. Hong Kong's aspirations to become an international education hub just got a huge boost from the rise of six of the city's public universities in one global ranking. It is also encouraging that UK-based education information firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) credited a new 'Study in Hong Kong' brand for putting the city on track to draw more global talent and cement its academic reputation. The latest QS world rankings released last Thursday saw the University of Hong Kong (HKU) climb to 11th place, up from 17th last year and 26th in 2023. It was the best showing for the city's oldest institution since the league table launched in 2004. HKU was just one spot behind the California Institute of Technology in the US. It was also second in Asia, after the National University of Singapore. University president Xiang Zhang said the achievement affirmed HKU's 'emergence as a global elite institution' that 'actively promotes Hong Kong as a premier hub for global talent'. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) rose four spots to 32nd for its best placing since 2010. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) jumped three places to 44th, while Polytechnic University (PolyU) bettered its score from 57th to 54th. Institutions further down the list also fared better, with Baptist University jumping from 252nd to 244th. Lingnan University improved from the 711th to 720th range to the 701st to 710th range.
The Star
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Six public universities in Hong Kong rise in global rankings
Six public universities in Hong Kong have risen in a global ranking, with the city's oldest jumping to 11th place and beating two prestigious mainland Chinese institutions. Britain-based education information firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) said the city's new 'Study in Hong Kong' brand should help it attract global talent and cement its reputation as a premier academic destination amid the government's funding cuts. The latest edition of QS' world rankings, released on Thursday, saw the University of Hong Kong (HKU) climb to 11th place, up from 17th last year and 26th in 2023. The result is the institution's best since the league table was launched in 2004. It was just one spot behind the California Institute of Technology in the United States. The mainland's Peking University maintained its 14th place, while Tsinghua University rose three spots to 17th. HKU also ranked second in Asia, after the National University of Singapore, which maintained its eighth position globally. QS said HKU was the local leader across four indicators, performing particularly well in academic reputation and graduate employability. Other universities in Hong Kong also climbed in the rankings, with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) rising four spots to 32nd for its best placing since 2010. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) jumped three places from 47th to 44th, a performance mirrored by Polytechnic University (PolyU), which went from 57th to 54th. City University (CityU) was the only Hong Kong institution to fall in the rankings, slipping from 62nd to 63rd. The latest results mean Hong Kong still boasts five universities in the top 70 globally. Baptist University also jumped from 252nd to 244th, the biggest rise among its local peers. Lingnan University improved from the 711th to 720th range to the 701st to 710th range. The Education University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Metropolitan University joined the rankings for the first time, placing 530th and in the 781st to 790th range, respectively. QS said the ranking exercise was its largest to date, featuring more than 1,500 universities across 106 jurisdictions. The United States had the most universities in the league table, with 192, followed by the UK with 90 and the mainland with 72. QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said Hong Kong had reinforced its position as a stand-out force in global higher education, making some of the most significant gains in the latest rankings and having more than half of its institutions in Asia's top 100. 'Its rise is driven by growing academic influence, world-class research and international engagement,' he said. 'Yet, financial pressures loom, prompting institutions to draw on reserves as public funding tightens.' But he added initiatives such as the 'Study in Hong Kong' brand should help lure global talent and ensure the city kept its reputation for 'academic and research excellence'. HKU president and vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang said: 'This historic achievement affirms HKU's emergence as a global elite institution and exemplifies the relentless pursuit of excellence by the entire University community. 'As a leader in higher education, HKU actively promotes Hong Kong as a premier hub for global talent to study, innovate and conduct research.' CUHK president Dennis Lo Yuk-ming said this year's results fully demonstrated the university's solid academic achievements and fruitful research results, as well as its leading position among world-class universities. A spokesman for HKUST said the rise of three places to 44th demonstrated its commitment to academic excellence and groundbreaking research. A spokesman for the PolyU said its result was the best so far and reflected that the university's academic and research excellence was internationally recognised, attesting to its influence and achievements in global higher education CityU's spokesman noted the university ranked first in Asia in the 'citations per faculty' indicator. A spokesman for Baptist University said it was delighted to be recognised as one of the top 250 universities in the world and viewed the ranking as an important demonstration of its ongoing commitment to excellence in teaching, learning and research standards. A spokesman for Hong Kong Metropolitan University said its debut in the rankings further cemented its status as the city's first self-financing tertiary institution. It was also the first local university of applied sciences to achieve such a recognition, he added. A spokesman for the Education Bureau on Wednesday said the achievement was encouraging. 'It is a recognition of the unremitting efforts and continuous pursuit of excellence by the team of tertiary institutions, and also confirms the government's long-term commitment to investing in education and enhancing the competitiveness of higher education institutions,' he said. In February, the government decided to slash the funding for public universities by HK$2.8 billion (US$356,690) in the coming three academic years, resulting in a 4 per cent average reduction rate. In an unprecedented move, the government also said it would claw back HK$4 billion from the reserves of the city's eight public universities. This year's world rankings were based on nine indicators: academic reputation; reputation among employers; academic staff to student ratio; citations per faculty; international faculty ratio; international student ratio; sustainability; employment figures; and international research network. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology retained the crown with first place globally for the 14th consecutive year. It was followed by Imperial College London, which held onto second place. In third was Stanford University, which climbed three positions. The University of Oxford and Harvard University both dropped one place to rank fourth and fifth. respectively. The University of Cambridge fell from fifth to sixth. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
