Lingnan University hosts Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony 2023 and Installation of President; Winner of Nobel Prize in Physics shares research insights with students
Lingnan University hosts Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony 2023 and Installation of President.
Lingnan University today (2 November) hosted an installation ceremony to formally welcome its new President Prof S. Joe Qin. Five honorary doctorate degrees were also conferred for remarkable achievements and impressive contributions to the community. During the University Assembly held on the same day, one of the Honorary Doctorate recipients Prof Samuel C.C. Ting, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, engaged with students to share his ongoing space experiments, thereby passing on the spirit of scientists to the next generation. The joyful events of the day were attended by over a thousand government officials, political leaders, VIPs, university presidents, and Lingnan faculty members and students.
A respected leader and internationally renowned scholar, the new President Prof Qin is committed to making Lingnan a world-class liberal arts research institution in the digital era.
Aware of the unprecedented opportunities and challenges, Prof Qin said “We must embrace diversity and inclusion, while fostering a sense of belonging and identity. We must pursue excellence and innovation, while maintaining academic integrity and quality. And we must balance local relevance and global impact, while enhancing our reputation and influence.”
Professor Qin announced his plans to take the university to the next level of excellence, and his determination to build and strengthen connections between traditional programmes and the digital revolution, between the arts and sciences, and between Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the entire world, as well as between Lingnan historically and today. He said that student education is at the very core of Lingnan University’s mission, “We will expand initiatives and activities to enrich our student experience and foster our community engagement. We will instill the spirit of innovation in everything we do as a way of life.”
The Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony was held straight after the installation of the new President. This year, Lingnan conferred degrees upon the following five distinguished and deserving individuals for their achievements and contributions:
- Prof Samuel C.C. Ting (Doctor of Science, honoris causa)
- Prof Mahesh Nagarajan (Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa)
- Mr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong (Doctor of Laws, honoris causa)
- Dr Peter Wong Tung-shun (Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa) (in absentia)
- Prof David Bordwell (Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa) (in absentia)
Mr Patrick Wong expressed gratitude to the University on behalf of all Honorary Doctorates. He said, “I have witnessed the tireless efforts and selfless contributions of Lingnanians which made the relocation of Lingnan College to this beautiful campus and its retitlement as Lingnan University possible.” As he recalled the origin and the re-establishment of Lingnan College, now known as Lingnan University, he believed that “only by opening up the future can the heritage of Lingnan University be continued.” Mr Wong said he was very glad that the President has in his installation address earlier today committed to opening a new chapter for the University and strive to make Lingnan University a world-class liberal arts research institute in the digital era. He also expressed his wish that Prof Qin can successfully lead Lingnan to new heights.
Furthermore, Prof Samuel C.C. Ting, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, held a University Assembly on the same day. He engaged with students to share his learning experience, and elaborated on his daily work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States. He introduced his proposed instruments for the International Space Station and discussed his ongoing space experiments. At the end of the assembly, students enthusiastically posed questions, creating a lively atmosphere.
Please refer to the following links for the citations and address of the Honorary Doctorates and the President:
Citation of Prof Samuel C C Ting
Citation of Dr Mahesh Nagarajan
Citation of Mr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong
Citation of Dr Peter Wong Tung-shun, GBS, JP
Citation of Prof David Bordwell