Mr Chan thinks that the University needs to keep its finger on Hong Kong’s pulse to stay relevant in education offerings and research coverage.

"We have to recognise that PolyU is part of our community; we don't exist in a vacuum", said Mr Chan Tze-ching when asked to describe the focus of this three-year chairmanship. "The only way to justify our existence, whether it's research, the transfer of our knowledge or the grooming of students, will be to ensure that we remain useful to the community of Hong Kong. "This will be a particular challenge, he explained, because more than any other city, Hong Kong is evolving. Rapid developments in such widely varied areas as transport, housing, law and order, and relations with the Chinese mainland mean that the University needs to keep its finger on Hong Kong's pulse to stay relevant in educational offerings and research coverage. And no-one could be more adept at ensuring PolyU is up to that challenge than Mr Chan.

With thirty years of experience in the banking and finance sector, and almost a decade of post-retirement involvement in numerous commercial and public service organizations, Mr Chan has served on the Council since 2005, first as a member, then as Deputy Chairman and since 1 January 2016 in his current role of Chairman. Not only is he intimately aware of how the University operates, but he also brings a keen commercial sense to bear on his duties. The commerce sector cares about setting goals on accountability and financial discipline; he thinks that these are qualities that are also extremely important in other organizations.

Mr Chan shares his experience with the awardees of the Outstanding Student Awards 2015 and encourages them to serve the society with their hearts and minds.

Describing PolyU as a particularly complex organization, Mr Chan remarked that it "has long been a very vibrant educational institution". In his time on the Council, he has seen a shift from a stage of building the basics in the early years after receiving university status, to the broadening of focus and concomitant open sharing of ideas under current president, Prof. Timothy W. Tong. This evolving culture of tolerance and receptiveness to a diversity of viewpoints, he reflected, explains why PolyU, in the public's eyes, is much less politically charged than some other universities. Intent on maintaining and extending that culture, Mr Chan has set about ensuring an open atmosphere in Council, so all members can freely express what they think about the University, what more and what less it could do in certain areas.

Mr Chan thinks that the University has to know its strength and weakness and bring out the best. In a broad sense, that would involve further enhancing its teaching, learning and research, and taking on more initiatives like Service-Learning. The ultimate goal of education at PolyU, he continually emphasised, was to "develop the right people to fill the needs of society". Given that PolyU has the largest student intake of all UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong, this is indeed a demanding task. Yet Mr Chan noted that PolyU students are hardworking, pragmatic and have ideals, with most of them heavily focused on obtaining a quality education. Staff, too, have indicated to Mr Chan that education quality should always be a paramount concern. Indeed, providing future leaders with precisely the right knowledge to serve Hong Kong will be critical to the University's ongoing success.

As a leader of a university, my mission is to rally the energy and support of all these different stakeholders and work towards a better future for our students and our community.  Mr Chan Tze-ching, PolyU Council Chairman

Mr Chan is also acutely aware that PolyU research, with its long tradition of benefiting the business and industry, has to maintain its social relevance. He pointed out that the University was one of the first educational institutions in Hong Kong to establish a Knowledge Transfer Committee to ensure that research outcomes were transferred properly and efficiently. "This is something that we have to continue to build on", he stressed, "and it was ever more important now that the government was committing substantial resources to establishing its Innovation and Technology Bureau." PolyU is ready to benefit from this development because its outstanding track record of applied research and knowledge transfer already sets it apart from other universities with less experience.

Intent on maintaining dialogue with a broad range of stakeholders – from the government, students, staff, supporters and alumni to society at large – Mr Chan always seeks to advance the interest of the University through promoting mutual understanding and consensus. That, indeed, could be the core legacy of his tenure as Chairman. "As a leader of a university, my mission is to rally the energy and support of all these different stakeholders and work towards a better future for our students and our community", he believed. ♦