On behalf of The Hong Kong Jockey Club it is my great pleasure to congratulate The Hong Kong Polytechnic University on the occasion of its 80th Anniversary.
PolyU’s pledge, that it will always be “Opening Minds, Shaping the Future”, aptly sums up its contribution to Hong Kong over the last eight decades. Through quality education with a practical focus, cutting edge research and close partnerships with business and industry, PolyU has helped shape the progress and development of our city. It is a mission that continues through its pioneering use of service-learning, enabling its students to apply their learning directly to community needs.
This is why The Hong Kong Jockey Club has been pleased to support PolyU’s work over many years, echoing as it does the Club’s own strong commitment to the betterment of Hong Kong. We too believe in the continuous development of our young people, of empowering them to achieve their full potential academically, personally and socially. Most especially we encourage them to serve the community and to contribute to the future of our city. To this end, in the last decade alone, the Club’s Charities Trust has donated over HK$4.1 billion to mainstream, vocational and special education.
At PolyU, the Club has facilitated the expansion of campus facilities and helped improve study and living environments. Major projects include the Jockey Club Auditorium, the Jockey Club Student Hostel and the award winning Jockey Club Innovation Tower, which provides a home for PolyU’s highly respected School of Design.
In addition, sharing as we do the same commitment to the betterment of Hong Kong, we have collaborated on projects to improve Hong Kong’s quality of life. In 2011 we established the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, the first design institute in Asia dedicated to developing creative solutions to modern day social challenges. And since 2005, a team from PolyU has been managing the Club’s P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme, which promotes the holistic development of junior secondary students.
These are just some of the ways in which the Club has supported and worked alongside the staff and students of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. And as we offer our congratulations once again, I would like to say how much we look forward to many more years working together for the betterment of Hong Kong.
Dr Simon S O Ip, CBE, JP
Chairman
The Hong Kong Jockey Club