Training
Talent for a Knowledge Economy
HKUST is very young compared with other world-class institutions,
but achievements are not always proportional to the age of a
university. The University of California at San Diego (UCSD)
has a history of less than 40 years, yet its devotion to excellence
has led to remarkable achievements in creating knowledge and
technology and training talents. In the past 20 years, UCSD
has transformed the sleepy town of San Diego into a center of
biotechnology,communications, and technology, bringing to the
city employment opportunities worth US$2 billion a year. Both
UCSD and HKUST are young and both are devoted to advanced scientific
research and the pursuit of excellence. I am convinced that
with the generous support of the community, HKUST will serve
as a locomotive of Hong Kong's drive towards a prosperous knowledge
economy.
Hong Kong requires flexible, innovative, well-rounded, and
responsible people who can handle the changes that accompany
its transition. We also need civic-minded people to ensure
that the benefits of technological development will be shared
by all. HKUST has an open and free academic environment where
scholars and students can exchange views and learn from one
another. In addition to technological training and business
studies, students also study the humanities and social sciences
and are encouraged to take courses outside their majors.
Their intensive and all-round training marks HKUST graduates
as the choice of employers. According to a survey conducted
by HKUST's Career Center, our graduates' employment rate reached
98% in 2000, while that of our full-time postgraduates reached
99%. This says much about our graduates' ability to practice
what they have learned, to contribute to society, and to help
build our future. In them we see the light that will eventually
dispel Hong Kong's present economic gloom.
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