[ad_1]
Two mainland Chinese professors from Tsinghua University have been appointed to leadership positions at the University of Hong Kong.
One of them, Max Shen Zuojun, was listed as a member of the Chinese Communist Party on Tsinghua’s website until Thursday, and the title was later removed, prompting calls for clarification from an opposition lawmaker and the Chinese union. HKU students.
Get the latest insights and analysis from our global impact newsletter on the great stories originating from China.
The HKU governing council is expected to discuss the appointments next Tuesday. If endorsed, both would take office from January 2021 at the earliest and serve for a five-year term.
Max Shen Zuojun is the head of Tsinghua’s industrial engineering department. Photo: Brochure
The HKU president’s office had been searching around the world for months to identify candidates for the two roles.
Senior management positions at the university included a rector and six vice presidents, but four had resigned since mainland-born American academic Xiang Zhang took office as president of the HKU in 2018, including Andy Hor Tzi-sum, that last year he resigned as vice president. for research citing “personal reasons”.
Shen is the head of Tsinghua’s industrial engineering department and is also a professor at UC Berkeley, where he is co-director of a new energy and environment center.
He earned his doctorate in industrial engineering and management science from Northwestern University in 2000, and also taught in the department of industrial and systems engineering at the University of Florida.
HKU falls in the world ranking of social and economic impact
His main research interests are the integrated design and management of the supply chain and the design of practical mechanisms.
Shen’s department website in Tsinghua does not currently list him as a member of the Communist Party committee that oversees the university, but appoints him under the department’s “administrative team.”
However, a check showed that Shen had also been on the party committee’s list as recently as Thursday.
But an HKU source familiar with the matter said on Friday that Shen was not a party member, adding that he spent most of his time at UC Berkeley for the past several years despite taking an honorary professorial position at Tsinghua in 2014.
A university spokesperson later said that the institution would only announce staff appointments after all procedures were completed.
“It is not appropriate for the university to comment at this stage. At present, parts of the media reports do not agree with the facts, ”the spokesman said without elaborating.
HKU Dating Saga: Has a Shadow Cast Over Campus?
Meanwhile, Gong is the head of Tsinghua’s Earth Science and Systems Department, and is also a Professor Emeritus in UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
His research focuses on the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems technology to monitor and map natural resources and human settlements.
Opposition lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, who represents the education sector, as well as the president of the HKU student union, Edy Jeh Tsz-lam, believed the university should clarify whether Shen continued to serve as a member of the Communist Party.
“This is important because if you are a member, you are bound to abide by party disciplines,” Ip said. “There are questions about whether this contradicts the fundamental values of academic freedom in Hong Kong.”
Mak Tung-wing, deputy coordinator of the HKU alumni concern group, questioned whether there was any possible connection between Shen, Gong and HKU President Xiang Zhang, as they all had ties to UC Berkeley.
“If they are close to Xiang Zhang is one of the questions we would ask,” he said.
He also said he was concerned if Shen was a member of the Communist Party. If it were, one would have to question whether he would be able to defend the academic freedom of the university, being in charge of the research policies of the institution, Mak said.
On Saturday, HKU board member Lei Tsz-shing said that the information received last week did not allow them to conduct fully informed deliberations, given that the most critical information about a nominee was only recently revealed. He called for the vote on the nominees to be postponed.
“A due diligence [should] meanwhile, ”he said.
Due diligence on candidates should cover all of the candidates’ backgrounds and the reason why the search committee has not performed due diligence, Lei said.
This article, mainland Chinese professors from Tsinghua University appointed to top positions at the University of Hong Kong first appeared in the South China Morning Post
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post, download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
