Opening Ceremony of HSMC Jockey Club Residential Colleges Sets Milestone of Self-Financed Higher Education Development

Monday September 5th, 2016

5 September 2016

Hang Seng Management College (HSMC) attaches great importance to students’ whole-person development. In order to provide holistic learning experiences to students, HSMC adopts a unique Residential College (RC) system to create a “living and learning” environment, instead of following the conventional concept of university student hostel. In recognition of our profound gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous support of a HKD 200 million pledged donation, the Opening Ceremony of HSMC Jockey Club Residential Colleges was held on 5 September 2016. The Ceremony marked the milestone of self-financed higher education sector, in which HSMC has become the first and only self-financed degree-granting institution in Hong Kong to adopt a full RC system.

The College was honoured to have Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Government of the HKSAR as the officiating guest at the Ceremony. She was joined by Dr Simon Ip, Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club; Ms Rose Lee, Chairman of HSMC Board of Governors; Dr Moses Cheng, Chairman of HSMC Council; HSMC President Simon Ho; and Mr Martin Tam, HSMC Governor and former Chairman of the Steering Committee on Campus Expansion, to unveil the commemorative plaque. The Ceremony was attended by over 200 honourable guests, staff, students and alumni.

At the Ceremony,Ms Rose Lee expressed her heartfelt thanks to The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Government of the HKSAR for their support, “I would like to express our gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s enthusiasm in promoting the development of Hong Kong’s higher education and donating HKD 200 million for building the Residential Colleges. It is the largest amount of donation that HSMC has ever received. We also thank the government’s unfailing support. With the opening of the Residential Colleges, around 1,200 students each year can experience fruitful RC life, which is important to both residents and HSMC. As part of the master plan of the campus expansion project, the establishment of RCs, together with two academic buildings and a student sports and amenities centre,help lay a concrete foundation for the College’s bid for acquisition of the university title next year.”

Mrs Carrie Lam said,“Higher education has been cultivating talented people, providing knowledge and opportunities to youngsters and people who wish to broaden their horizons through further studies. Apart from the publicly funded universities, the government is dedicated to contributing to the development of the self-financing tertiary education sector, with HSMC being one of the leading institutions. Residential Colleges foster a combined living and learning environment, which would encourage students to take part in more activities, develop their sense of belonging to the College and enhance personal growth. I encourage students to cherish college life, to equip themselves for serving society and to build a better future for Hong Kong.”

Dr Simon Ip stressed that the experience of living on campus is very precious as students can develop their social skills, self-discipline and leadership skills. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has been donating to different higher education institutions for building students’ hostels, providing some 20,000 bed-places in Hong Kong in total. He expressed that HSMC’s mission in nurturing leaders and broadening opportunities to the youths echoes with the direction of The Hong Kong Jockey Club on youth development.

In his remarks, President Simon Ho pointed out that the RC system is a crucial component for HSMC’s unique “Liberal + Professional” education model, in which academic courses, tutorials, extra-curricular activities and pastoral care are combined.Professors become students’ role model in academic and daily aspects. Student resident scan learn to take care of themselves, communicate with others, solve problems and be a leader.

The Residential Colleges are surrounded by hills and greenery landscapes. There is only five-minute walking distance from the main campus. Aiming at nurturing students well-roundedly,the Residential Colleges take on four main themes, namely Cultural Diversity of Mosaic College, Healthy Living of Wellness College, Community Service of Amity College and Sustainability of Evergreen College, providing about 1,200 bed-places. Senior academic staff are appointed as College Masters to provide pastoral care to student residents.

The HSMC Jockey Club Residential Colleges were awarded Provisional Platinum under BEAM Plus New Buildings (V1.2) by the Hong Kong Green Building Council on 9 July 2014. The RCs are environmentally friendly in terms of using renewable energy systems, such as rainwater and greywater recycling systems, using air-conditioners in a more sustainable way, adopting natural lighting and installing solar panels as extra energy source. Over 30% of the site, inclusive of areas of vertical exteriors and rooftop, is covered by plants and bamboos, providing a more refreshing environment to students and staff. Bamboo is widely used in interior designs as well as furniture materials because of its faster growth cycle than that of trees. The above measures further prove the tremendous efforts that HSMC took on sustainability and its pioneer role in developing a green campus.

Ms Rose Lee, Chairman of HSMC Board of Governors, thanks The Hong Kong Jockey Club and The Government of HKSAR in her welcome speech

Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Secretary for Administration of The Government of HKSAR, encourages students to cherish their college life

Dr Simon Ip, Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, expresses the preciousness of living on campus

President Simon Ho points out that the Residential College system is a crucial component of HSMC’s unique “Liberal + Professional” education model

Officiating guests hosting the official plaque unveiling ceremony (from left: President Simon Ho, Ms Rose Lee, Mrs Carrie Lam, Dr Simon Ip, Dr Moses Cheng, and Mr Martin Tam)