Chinese University of Hong Kong appoints ex-LegCo secretariat head Kenneth Chen as vice-president
Hong Kong Free Press
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has appointed the former head of the Legislative Council (LegCo) secretariat as its new vice-president.
In a statement issued Monday, the university’s council said it had approved Kenneth Chen’s appointment as vice-president for administration, effective September 16, for a three-year term. Chen was previously Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat.
”As a key member of the University senior management team, the appointee will maintain strategic oversight of the administrative resources and operations of the University with a view to ensuring effective delivery of services in support of the academic, teaching, and research activities,” the statement read.
Chen’s appointment came months after the governing body fired former vice-president Eric Ng over a “loss of confidence” amid controversy surrounding the university’s management.
Chen served as Undersecretary for Education from 2008 to 2012, before he assumed the role of Secretary General for the LegCo Secretariat in 2012. His pre-retirement leave began on August 1.
Until recently, Chen led the nominally non-partisan secretariat of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. LegCo saw an electoral overhaul in 2021 that slashed the number of directly-elected seats and introduced a vetting mechanism to ensure only “patriots” could run.
“Having served the public sector for many years, I am delighted to be able to contribute to the higher education sector in Hong Kong. I have gained a deep appreciation of the importance of good institutional governance and effective management teamwork from my previous roles,” Chen said in the statement.
According to the statement, a committee formed by CUHK’s council unanimously recommended Chen for appointment. The statement did not say whether the council unanimously voted for Chen.
Council chair John Chai did not take questions from reporters after its meeting on Monday morning, according to Ming Pao.
Predecessor fired
Ng’s dismissal last December came after he was one of some 1,500 signatories of a petition against a plan to reduce the influence of university staff on the board, which Chai said had sparked doubts over Ng’s ability to remain neutral.
Signatories of the petition said that the proposal would have a negative impact on the institution’s academic autonomy.
Ng said he was not given a chance to defend himself and that the allegations against him amounted to a “serious injustice.” He also said he had safeguarded the best interests of the institution in a professional and loyal manner during his 16-year tenure at CUHK.
Impartiality
As head of the LegCo Secretariat, Chen in 2019 faced criticism of political bias from pro-democracy legislators for requesting lawmakers to vote on whether to replace the Democratic Party’s James To with Abraham Shek as the head of a committee scrutinising a controversial extradition bill.
The since-axed bill sparked protests that began that March, and later escalated in June into violent displays of dissent against police behaviour, amid calls for democracy and anger over Beijing’s encroachment.
In 2016, Chen oversaw the disqualifications of incoming lawmakers Baggio Leung, Yau Wai-ching, “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, Nathan Law, Edward Yiu, and Lau Siu-lai over oaths deemed invalid by the secretariat.
CUHK has yet to pick a replacement for outgoing vice-chancellor Rocky Tuan, who tendered his resignation weeks after the council fired Ng and is set to step down in January 2025. Tuan, a 72-year-old biomedical scientist, had served as vice-chancellor and president of CUHK since 2018, succeeding Joseph Sung.
The embattled university head has been criticised by pro-establishment figures – including former chief executive Leung Chun-ying – as being too sympathetic towards student protesters.
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