The influential body may urge university council to confirm liberal scholar's appointment to role
JOYCE NGjoyce.ng@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 26 July, 2015, 4:39am
UPDATED : Sunday, 26 July, 2015, 4:39am
The delay has led to speculation if politics are at play to punish Chan, a former law dean who is close to colleague Benny Tai Yiu-ting, co-founder of the Occupy Central movement. Photo: Dickson Lee
Pressure is mounting on the University of Hong Kong's governing body to stop delaying its appointment of liberal scholar Professor Johannes Chan Man-mun to a key managerial post, with the institution's most representative alumni body holding a rare emergency meeting on Tuesday.
A statutory body known as the Convocation, which comprises all alumni and teachers, will discuss plans to express concern, its acting chairman Andrew Fung Ho-keung said. Notifications of the urgent meeting of its standing committee were sent to members on Friday night.
Fung said the Convocation's standing committee was "aware of the great concern" among members about the HKU council's decision last month to defer the appointment of a pro-vice-chancellor.
"This post, responsible for recruitment and resources, is in charge of a lot of work," Fung said. "It has been left vacant for too long and this has affected HKU's operation."
He said it would be the first time in recent years the influential alumni body - a key player in fund-raising initiatives that also performed an advisory role to HKU - held an urgent meeting over an appointment issue.
On June 30, the HKU council voted 12-6 to wait until a supervisory provost was hired and gave "input" on the issue. Government-appointed members voted for the postponement while staff and students were against it.
The delay has led to speculation if politics are at play to punish Chan, a former law dean who is close to colleague Benny Tai Yiu-ting, co-founder of the Occupy Central movement.
Fung said they would discuss arrangements for an extraordinary general meeting. The earliest possible date for that meeting would be September 1.
At the EGM, members will vote on four resolutions, including whether the Convocation should urge the council to confirm Chan's appointment within 30 days.
Tuesday's meeting will coincide with that of the council. Five council members - employees and students - wrote to council chairman Dr Leong Che-hung on Friday urging him to put the appointment back on the agenda.
Leong also received a petition yesterday from a group of 102 alumni-doctors, making the same demand.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1843726/hong-kong-university-alumni-hold-urgent-meeting
