Prof Leonard Cheng to retire after completion of tenure as Lingnan’s President
President Prof Leonard K Cheng will retire after the completion of his current term on 31 August 2023.
Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Chairman of the LU Council, expressed earnest gratitude to President Cheng for his significant contributions to LU. “Since he took up the presidency in September 2013, Prof Cheng has demonstrated his remarkable leadership and foresight in steering the University to scale new heights on various fronts, such as achieving teaching excellence, building a strong research culture, enhancing student’s learning experience as well as gaining notable international recognitions, making LU a world leading liberal arts university,” Mr Yao said. “On behalf of the LU community, I thank Prof Cheng for his contribution to the University.”
Mr Carlson Tong Ka-shing, Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), thanked Prof Cheng for his significant contributions over the years. “As the President of LU, Professor Leonard Cheng has taken LU's unique tradition in liberal arts education to a higher level by providing a quality learning experience that focuses on whole-person development. This has been deeply appreciated by students and graduates of LU. Professor Cheng has also driven LU's development on multiple fronts, in particular advocating for care and social impact as the guidepost for research activities, which are coupled with various knowledge transfer activities to bring about benefits to our community. As a visionary president with outstanding leadership, Professor Cheng has led LU to become a first-class liberal arts institution. On behalf of the UGC, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Professor Cheng for his support of the work of the UGC and his contributions."
Prof Cheng said: “With the concerted efforts of all Lingnanians, LU stands proudly today as a global leader in quality education and high impact research, and is well positioned to further its excellence in the next six years by implementing its new Strategic Plan 2022-28. It is my privilege and honour to work with like-minded colleagues to realise the University’s vision to excel as a leading liberal arts university in Asia and beyond, and I am most grateful to the University’s Council and Court for their wise guidance and strong support during my tenure.”
A Search Committee has been established by the University Council to conduct a global search for the new President.