Panel set up to review governance at University of Hong Kong to turn spotlight on chief executive’s powers
Independent experts expected to answer critics who claim there is too much political interference in bodies that run the public institutions
A governance review panel set up by the University of Hong Kong’s ruling council at a meeting on Tuesday is expected to study whether the chief executive should be default chancellor of all the city’s public universities with power to appoint council members.
The independent panel consists of three people – two former members of the University Grants Commission, Professor Malcolm Grant, who will be chairman, and Professor William Kirby, plus retired High Court judge Peter Nguyen.
Grant is chancellor of the University of York in England, while Kirby is China studies and business professor at Harvard University.
The panel will review the governance structure of Hong Kong’s universities, listening to the views of students, staff and alumni, drawing on international practices and making recommendations to the HKU council.
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Critics say the system in Hong Kong leaves universities open to political interference.
The panel will start work in June and is expected to complete a report by the end of the year.
