Welcome to the 78th edition of CUHK in Focus.
Over the past few weeks, a series of events has brought together the CUHK community to celebrate our shared commitment to excellence and the spirit of companionship that defines us. These momentous occasions have reaffirmed my belief that the greatest strength of CUHK always lies in our people.
I was delighted to attend the Inauguration Ceremony of Professorships and Presentation of Teaching and Research Awards on 9 April to honour exceptional faculty members for their diligent efforts and commendable dedication over many years. I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the four exemplary scholars who were inaugurated as Choh-Ming Li and Wei Lun Professors. They are good role models for students and fellow colleagues who demonstrate a great passion for excellence and whose work has opened up new frontiers in teaching and research. These prestigious honours are fitting recognition of their remarkable contributions to consolidating the University’s position as a global knowledge hub, as well as to generating impactful research outcomes that benefit the wider community.
Four outstanding CUHK scholars were awarded the Choh-Ming Li and Wei Lun Professorships for their profound dedication to teaching and research.
Equally inspiring is the story of the staff members who were presented with teaching and research awards at the same ceremony. The University takes pride in their distinguished scholarship and professionalism. I was particularly excited to see a group of young talents among our awardees. The University will soon launch its Strategic Plan 2026–2030, under which strengthening our talent pool in both quantitative and qualitative terms will remain a priority in the next phase of our development. We count on every one of our staff members to continue to nurture a dynamic academic environment where individual potential is fully unleashed and innovative ideas are turned into meaningful impact on society.
Outstanding faculty members were presented with awards in recognition of their remarkable achievements in teaching and research in various disciplines.
Recognising students’ achievements
Earlier in March, I attended the Outstanding Students Awards Presentation Ceremony organised by the Office of Student Affairs. The Awards were introduced in 2018 to recognise students who excelled in delivering positive impact on the CUHK community and society through engagement in five categories, namely Innovation and Invention, Sports, Arts, Social Service and Special Achievement. This year, we were proud to honour 199 students for their remarkable achievements spanning a wide range of disciplines. It was truly inspiring for me to meet our student awardees as they showcased the breadth of talents nurtured from CUHK. Their personal stories embody the University’s strong commitment to whole-person education that goes beyond academic excellence and extends to character shaping and being eager and ready to serve others. Congratulations to all the awardees, and may you always dare to dream, persevere and contribute to the wider community.
Physical education is a core pillar of CUHK’s holistic educational vision. On 10 April, our Physical Education Unit organised the CUHK Sports Prizes Presentation Ceremony 2026 to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of students in their athletic pursuits during the year and celebrate the concerted efforts of athletes, coaches, team managers and supporting staff. This was not just an event to commend our elite athletes for their achievements in competitions, but also a valuable opportunity for us to reflect upon the value of sports for students’ growth. It means much more than trophies and personal bests – it builds one’s character, resilience and teamwork, which are essential qualities that will serve students well throughout their lives.
Connecting with postgraduates and alumni
It was a great pleasure to join our postgraduate community at the Postgraduate Halls (PGH) High Table Dinner 2026, where I had the opportunity to engage in conversations with our postgraduate students and learn more about their campus experiences and aspirations.
The CUHK Graduate School currently offers over 230 postgraduate programmes, awarding more than 7,700 qualifications each year. The wide spectrum of programmes plays a crucial part in the University’s commitment to world-class education and internationalisation. Advancing the postgraduate experience is one of our major goals in the coming years. We seek to enhance our taught and research programmes, as well as extend our unique college-based model to the postgraduate population. We aim at cultivating a culturally diverse and intellectually stimulating environment where students from around the world will be equipped for dynamic and global careers and become competent leaders who will bring substantial value to their professional fields.
The CUHK Alumni Cup Horse Racing Day 2026, which took place on 29 March, was another joyous occasion for the CUHK community, reconnecting alumni across generations to celebrate their enduring support for the University. I was glad to be the Guest of Honour and was deeply grateful to the Federation of Alumni Associations of CUHK for organising this event that fosters lifelong bonds among the CUHK community. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to our alumni sponsors for their generosity and steadfast support that made the event possible. Their enthusiastic engagement is the thread that weaves us together, and their contributions well represent the strong culture of giving among the CUHK community.
I look forward to sharing more stories with you in our next edition.
Dennis Lo Yuk-ming
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
