To excel as an internationally recognised liberal arts university distinguished by outstanding teaching and the highest standards of scholarship. Mission Statement Lingnan University is committed to the provision of quality education distinguished by the best liberal arts traditions. It adopts a whole-person approach to education which enables its students to think, judge, care and, ultimately, act responsibly in the changing circumstances of Hong Kong, the region and the world. It seeks to accomplish this mission by: * developing integrated programmes of study at the undergraduate level which are relevant to Hong Kong's needs in a changing international environment; * maintaining a distinctive role in the Hong Kong tertiary sector with designated disciplinary coverage in Arts, Business and Social Sciences; * equipping students with whole-person development through enriched campus life, integrated learning and service programmes, and international exchange programmes; * offering high standard postgraduate programmes (both research and taught); * equipping students with language and communication skills to cope with Hong Kong's multilingual environment; * promoting effective teaching, a vibrant research and discussion culture, and world class research outcomes; * equipping students with life-long learning skills and helping them to become life-long learners; * promoting interaction and exchange with other institutions of higher learning throughout the world; * interacting with various sectors in the community in a mutually beneficial way; * making the most effective use of the human, financial and technical resources available for the pursuit of our goals; and * meeting our community's educational and training needs by offering programmes through the Community College, Lingnan Institute of Further Education and various academic units. Over the past years, Lingnan has distinguished itself as a liberal arts institution that promotes whole-person education in a caring and supportive environment. It is both an honour and a rewarding challenge for me to help Lingnan build on this tradition; to uphold its vision of providing education of the highest quality, and becoming an internationally-renowned institution that can serve as a model for liberal arts education throughout the region. Here at Lingnan, we seek to impart to our students not only knowledge and skills, but also creativity and wisdom in resolving problems and facing up to various situations in life. To achieve this, we place great emphasis on an interactive teaching-learning process, strengthened by close teacher-student relationship. Indeed, the entire learning environment at Lingnan, including the residential facilities, is designed to help students fully realise their potential. Looking ahead, a major task for us is to prepare for the expanded learning opportunities under the four-year curriculum due to be introduced in 2012. We are strongly committed to broadening students' learning experiences, both on campus and in the community, as well as overseas through international exchange programmes. Naturally, it is also important that we continue to develop our academic programmes to broaden students' exposure and enrich their learning experience, for which we shall continue to pool our resources and garner community support.