Hong Kong Shue Yan College, the predecessor of Hong Kong Shue Yan University was founded in 1971. The idea of an independent liberal arts college was first conceived in the spring of that year when Dr. Henry H.L. Hu, a then Legislative Councillor, and Dr. Chung Chi Yung, a prominent educationist, concerned over the acute shortage of college places for the local Form VI students aspiring after university education, made up their minds to establish an institution of higher learning for the benefit of the youths and in the interests of our society as a whole. The College was approved to register under the Post Secondary College Ordinance in 1976 and its diploma has since been recognized by the Government as a qualification for appointment to the civil service. Hong Kong Shue Yan College, the predecessor of Hong Kong Shue Yan University was founded in 1971. The idea of an independent liberal arts college was first conceived in the spring of that year when Dr. Henry H. L. Hu, then a Legislative Councillor, and Dr. Chung Chi Yung, a prominent educationist, concerned over the acute shortage of tertiary places for local Form VI students aspiring for university education, decided to establish an institution of higher learning for the benefit of young people and in the interests of Hong Kong society as a whole. Their ideas were readily endorsed by civic leaders of the day. In July 1971, a College Board was formed, chaired by the late Hon. Wilfred S. B. Wong, C.B.E., J.P. with the late Mr. H. C. Ting, O.B.E. as Vice-Chairman. A building was acquired on Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, and Shue Yan (romanized from the Chinese characters ?? , meaning the cultivation of virtue) was chosen as its name. At the inauguration of the College on the 20th September, 1971, the Hon. Wilfred S. B. Wong expressed the underpinning philosophy of Shue Yan: “The aim of the establishment of Shue Yan College is not for profit but it is hoped to provide the ideal education, i.e. the cultivation of virtue. Virtue applies when the ideal person meets other persons. Therefore, to establish virtue one has to start from the person. One wants to help every student to build character and develop a harmonious way of living with others. In Chinese, the words 'kindness' and 'man' can be co-used. Furthermore, the aim of education is not only the moulding of man of healthy mind and body, but also the creation of Confucian superior men and philosophers who are needed to lead society in establishing a rational social order based on humanism.” In February 1972, at the invitation of the Northeast Louisiana University, Tulane and other universities, Dr. Henry H. L. Hu, President of the College, toured America and lectured at sixteen universities including Harvard. His trip evoked favourable comments and paved the way for academic co-operation between the College and several universities in the USA. For further information, please refer to the section on International Academic Cooperation. In order to gain formal recognition in Hong Kong for the qualifications held by its graduates, the College actively sought registration under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320). Throughout May and June 1975, a series of inspections and evaluations were conducted, culminating in a visit by the Hon. Kenneth Topley, C.M.G., J.P., then Director of Education, on 16th December 1975. As a result of the successful outcome of this process, the College was officially approved to register under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance on 28th January 1976. From that time, Shue Yan diplomas were recognized by the Government as a qualification for appointment to the civil service. When the College was founded there were seven teaching Departments:- (1) Chinese Language and Literature, (2) English Language and Literature, (3) Journalism, (4) Accounting, (5) Business Administration, (6) Sociology and Social Work, and (7) Law and Business. Following the registration of the College, new departments of Law and Administration, Sociology, Counselling and Guidance, and Chinese Literature and History were added in 1976, and the Department of Social Work became a Department in its own right. In 1977, two more new departments: History and Economics were established. As a result of its rapid expansion, the College soon outgrew its premises on Sing Woo Road and in 1977 had to acquire a seven-storey building on Monmouth Path in Wanchai to accommodate its growing student body and faculty, pending the completion of its permanent premises to be built on a site granted by the Government in Braemar Hill, North Point. Then, in the White Paper on the Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education published in October 1978, the Government proposed granting financial assistance to the three approved post-secondary colleges in Hong Kong, including Shue Yan, on condition that the colleges restructure their 4-year programmes to accommodate a 2-2-1 system, i.e. a two-year course at the sixth form level, leading to the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (required for entry to Hong Kong University), followed by a two-year Post-Form-Six course and a further year of intensive study for students to gain professional or vocational qualifications. Following the publication of that white paper, the students and staff of the College held a series of discussions and over 94 percent of them were opposed to re-structuring the four-year programme of studies which the College had been running with success and which helped to fulfil the aspirations of young people for university level education. The College therefore turned down the offer of funding. The foundation stone of the current Braemar Hill campus was laid by the then Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Edward Youde, G.C.M.G., M.B.E., on the 8th April 1983 and the topping-off was performed by the Hon. Sir Philip Haddon-Cave, the then Chief Secretary on the 15th August 1984. The whole building was completed in 1985 and formally opened by Sir Edward Youde on 24th January 1986. The 19-storey Library Complex was completed in 1995. The Opening Ceremony for the Library Complex was officiated by then Governor of Hong Kong the Rt. Hon. Christopher Patten on 15th November 1995. In his address, the Governor admired: “The growth and achievements over the years (that) attest to the contribution that private initiative and personal commitment are making in the field of higher education in Hong Kong.” Thirty-seven delegates from the State Education Commission of PRC and Chinese universities also attended the Opening Ceremony. The Chairman of the State Language Commission of China, Professor Xu Jia Lu visited the College on 19th April 1996. He facilitated the establishment of a Centre for Training and Testing Putonghua Teachers and Speakers (???????) at Shue Yan College. The College's long track record of educating young people to make a contribution to society is well respected locally. In July 2000, the Hong Kong SAR Government awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star to the Principal and Vice-President, Dr. Chung Chi Yung in recognition of her contribution to higher education in Hong Kong. The College celebrated its 30th anniversary on 7-9th December 2001 with a series of activities including the Foundation Stone-Laying Ceremony for a new Residential and Amenities Complex at the Braemar Hill campus and an international academic conference on "Economic Globalization & Cross-region Cultural Communication" jointly organized by the Research Centre of Social Development of Renmin University of China, the School of Humanities of Zhejiang University and the Contemporary China Research Centre of Shue Yan College. The first Chief Executive of the HKSAR, the Hon. Tung Chee-Hwa presided over both the Foundation Stone-Laying Ceremony and the Opening Ceremony of the International Conference. The Hon. Leung Chun-Yin, G.B.S., J.P., Convenor of Executive Council officiated at the Grand 30th Anniversary Banquet, which was attended by over 1,000 distinguished guests, alumni, teaching staff and student representatives. The Honourable Professor Arthur K.C. Li, G.B.S., J.P., Secretary for Education & Manpower, HKSAR, officiated at the Topping-Out Ceremony of the new Residential and Amenities Complex on 10th May 2004 and on 5th November 2005 Professor Li officially opened the Residential and Amenities Complex amidst much fanfare. The College celebrated its 35th anniversary with a Grand Banquet on 12th November 2006 at The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event was officiated by government officials and dignitaries and was well attended by over 1,000 alumni, staff and friends of the College. The year 2006 also marked the culmination of a process of institutional changes that had been initiated in 1996, when the College submitted a request to the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) for accreditation as a degree-awarding institution. In the ensuing ten years, the College underwent a series of institutional reviews and developed ten four-year honours degree programmes, which were successfully validated by the HKCAA and introduced between 2001 and 2005. In 2006, a specially convened Institutional Review Panel recommended that, on the basis of its track record of offering high quality degree programmes, Shue Yan College should be granted university title. Upon completion of legal formalities, the title of Shue Yan University was granted by the Chief Executive in Council on 19th December 2006, and Shue Yan became Hong Kong’s first private university. The Chief Executive, the Hon. Donald Tsang, G.B.M., also graciously agreed to join the university community in celebrations to mark the achievement of university status on 14th February 2007. In 2008, the Grand Bauhinia medal was awarded to Shue Yan President, Dr. Henry H. L. Hu, in recognition of his life-long dedication and contribution to public and community service, particularly in broadening the tertiary education opportunities of the younger generation by establishing Hong Kong Shue Yan University. The citation noted that Dr. Hu has devoted substantial financial resources and personal efforts to continuously improve HKSYU and its students’ learning experience over the past 36 years
