港大資深教授籲改革校委會重建信譽

港大資深教授籲改革校委會重建信譽


香港大學校委會主席梁智鴻任期行將屆滿，行會成員李國章會否接任主席受外界關注，在港大任教逾30年的英文系教授Douglas Kerr撰寫了一封公開信，在今日《南華早報》刊出。信中警告校委會已失去了大部分教職員、學生及校友的信心，呼籲新主席推動改革，重建校委會信譽。

Douglas Kerr的公開信讚揚陳文敏是資深學者，對大學貢獻良多，質疑校委會顯然是因為陳文敏政治立場支持民主，而否決其副校任命，是對港大自主的重大問題。公開信又引述港大學生會會長馮敬恩早前披露校委會否決任命的原因，Douglas Kerr形容有關理據無知、具惡意，令人不安及震驚，這事件已令校委會的信譽進一步沉淪，甚至令人認為校委會不認同保障學術自主是其核心價值之一。

Douglas Kerr在信中警告，新任主席若不尊重大學成員的意見，或不進行改革，只會令事情惡化。

Open letter: New chair of HKU council must seize the moment for governance reform

Douglas Kerr says, in this open letter to the next HKU council chair, that a lot of support is available if he or she is willing to talk seriously about improving university governance
Douglas Kerr

Dear Sir or Madam,

Succeeding the hapless Leong Che-hung as chair of the University of Hong Kong's governing council may not be an occasion for congratulation. Let me at least wish you good luck. The challenge is a formidable one.

The crisis facing the council is largely of its own making, though we can see it in the broader context of the way quite a few of Hong Kong's institutions are struggling to function in the current political climate, under "one country, two systems".

You will be taking the helm of a governing body which has lost the confidence of a significant proportion of its constituency - the staff, students and alumni of the university. How did this happen?

After a bizarre delay in even considering the matter, the council rejected the appointment of Johannes Chan Man-mun as pro-vice-chancellor in charge of academic staffing and resources.

Professor Chan is a senior scholar and a proven academic manager who has done much for the university, and for the legal profession in Hong Kong and on the mainland, and was the choice of the search committee. But he is also associated in people's minds with the pro-democracy movement. It seemed obvious to many people that the council voted against him on the grounds of his politics. If a senior officer of the university is to be chosen (or rejected) on political grounds, this is a very serious matter for the autonomy of HKU, and the universities of Hong Kong. It is especially ominous since this pro-vice-chancellor's job is to oversee all matters of appointment, tenure and promotion.