Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC) has inaugurated Professor Chen Zhi, Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities (HKAH), as its third President.
Professor Chen Zhi is an internationally renowned scholar and researcher in Chinese Studies. His diversified interests in Chinese Studies include classical studies and early Chinese culture and history, historical writings, traditional Chinese poetry, excavated documents: bronze inscriptions and bamboo and silk writings, and intellectual history of the Ming and Qing dynasties. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of several prestigious academic journals and book series, both Chinese and English, and was appointed as local convenor of Chinese Language and Literature in the Panel of Humanities of RAE 2009-14. Professor Chen has published extensively in the US, Europe, the UK, Japan, and Greater China Regions in top-tier venues. He has served as a part-time professor at Nanjing University, Fudan University, Hunan University and more. He has also been invited to lecture at more than a hundred universities and research institutes worldwide, including Peking University, the University of Oxford, the University of Zurich, the University of Chicago and Taiwan University.
In addition to his remarkable scholarship, Professor Chen is an experienced university administrator. Apart from being the Head of the Department of Chinese at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) between 2010 and 2013, Professor Chen was Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts between 2015 and 2017. He was the founding Director of Mr. Simon Suen and Mrs. Mary Suen Sino-Human Institute between 2011 and 2014. Between 2012 and 2014, Professor Chen was appointed Founding Acting Director of Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology and became the Director from 2014 to present. From 2018, Professor Chen served as the Board Director of Wuhan College. Professor Chen joined UIC in 2018 as Vice President (Academic) and was promoted to Provost in 2020. From 2022 to 2024, Professor Chen held the position of President at Hong Kong Chu Hai College.
HKBU Council Chairman Dr Clement Chen chaired the Search Committee for UIC's third President, comprised of members from HKBU, Beijing Normal University (BNU) and UIC. An open recruitment was initiated, followed by an extensive search for qualified candidates locally and internationally. After a thorough review, the Search Committee nominated the final candidate and recommended Professor Chen Zhi to the UIC Council for final approval.
UIC believes that Professor Chen Zhi's outstanding service and remarkable dedication will continue to provide strong academic leadership and ensure momentum on key priorities. His extensive networks and national and global standing will also enhance UIC's diversity and broad perspectives.
Professor Chen Zhi thanks the second President Professor Tang Tao for his exceptional commitment to liberal education and his visionary approach to UIC's development. "We have witnessed remarkable progress and achievements at UIC. Our enrolment numbers and academic standards have consistently improved, resulting in an increasing number of our graduates being admitted to renowned universities worldwide. The faculty has grown stronger, and our teaching and research capabilities have significantly advanced. The successful implementation of the second-phase campus project has laid a solid foundation for UIC's continued success."
"I wholeheartedly embrace the new responsibilities entrusted to me," he continues. "With a profound sense of responsibility and determination, I will strive to uphold UIC's esteemed legacy and propel it to even greater heights of excellence."
In announcing the appointment, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences, Fellow of TWAS Professor Tang Tao stepped down from his position as President. Professor Tang has been appointed Director of UIC Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). He wrote in his email to the UIC staff and students: "Professor Chen, no stranger to most of you, is not only an outstanding scholar, but also a seasoned senior academic administrator, with the halo of an international reputation. Above all, he is steeped in the finest tradition of liberal arts education. I have full confidence that under his leadership, UIC will fly higher and go farther."
From MPRO
Reporter: Deen He
Photographer: Season Li, Covee Wang
