Hong Kong University

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is a public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, Sai Kung District, Hong Kong. Established in 1991, it is the territory's youngest higher learning institution with no precursory existence.

The university consists of four disciplinary schools, which offer degrees in business and management, engineering, science, and humanities and social science, alongside the Interdisciplinary Programs Office, which provides cross-disciplinary programs, and Fok Ying Tung Graduate School/Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, which promotes technology transfer and commercialisation. HKUST has been continuously viewed as one of the top three higher education institutions in Hong Kong

History

Established in 1991 under Chapter 1141 of the Laws of Hong Kong , HKUST is one of the eight statutory universities in Hong Kong.

In the late 1980s the Hong Kong Government anticipated a strong demand for university graduates to fuel an economy increasingly based on services. Sir Chung Sze Yuen and the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Edward Youde, conceived the idea of another university in addition to the pre-existing two universities .

Planning for the "Third University", named The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology later, began in 1986. Construction began at the Kohima Camp site in Tai Po Tsai on the Clear Water Bay Peninsula. The site was earmarked for the construction of a new British Army garrison, but plans for the construction of the garrison were shelved after the Sino-British Joint Declaration was signed in 1984.

Originally scheduled to finish in 1994, the death of Sir Edward in 1986 led to increased effort and allowed UST to open its doors early – in 1991. Several leading scientists and researchers took up positions at the new university in its early years, including physicist Leroy Chang who arrived in 1993 as Dean of Science and went on to become Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Thomas E. Stelson was also a founding member of the administration.

The project was criticised for surpassing the budget set forth by the Hong Kong Government and the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club. However, under the fund-raising efforts of its President, Woo Chia-wei, the first students enrolled in October 1991. By 1992, accommodation and athletic facilities were expanded to support about 7,000 students.

Several more expansion projects such as the construction of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Enterprise Centre have since been completed. The library extension building, Lee Shau Kee Business Building , Lo Ka Chung Building South Bus Station and Undergraduate Halls VIII and IX, Cheng Yu Tung Building and the Conference Lodge , are the latest additions to the campus.

Campus

The university is situated at the northern part of Clear Water Bay Peninsula in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong, occupying a 60-hectare site overlooking Port Shelter in Tai Po Tsai. In addition to the academic complexes, the campus also boasts student halls of residence, indoor and outdoor sports facilities, the University Center, staff quarters and the President's Lodge, making use of the sloped terrain to divide the campus for different uses.

Academic Building

The Academic Building contains 10 lecture theatres , a multitude of classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices, as well as ancillary facilities such as canteens, banks, a bookstore and a supermarket. The lecture theatres can accommodate classes of up to 450 students and offer audiovisual equipment. In addition, an information center and a souvenir shop can be found at the Piazza.

Lee Shau Kee Business Building , completed in 2013 and named after entrepreneur Lee Shau Kee, houses offices and classrooms of the School of Business and Management . Before LSK went into operation, offices and classrooms used by all of the 4 schools were grouped under the same roof in the Academic Building.

The latest addition to the campus is the Cheng Yu Tung Building , which mainly consist of classrooms and laboratories, completed in 2015.