2014 CB Congregation

The College of Business held its 2014 Congregation for the Conferment of Degrees at the Chan Tai Ho Multi-purpose Hall from 11th to 13th November.  

A total of 2,440 awards of PhDs, Masters, and Bachelor Degrees were conferred to CB graduates, across the six departments under the College.

Prof Way Kuo, President, and Prof Arthur Ellis, Acting President of City University of Hong Kong, presided over the ceremonies. Prof Houmin Yan, Dean of the College of Business, delivered an address to the guests, graduates, and their families sharing insights from renowned academics:

Jacques Barzun [Columbia University professor] saw the West in decline, especially in the arts, in education, and in culture. For him the only modern decade had been the 1920s. The West was now coming to a stopping point before some radically different ideas came along. Crucially, he no longer saw the West as necessarily central. Globalism was to be the 21st century reality.

The historian Arnold Toynbee proposed that the 19th century was that of the United Kingdom, the 20th century that of the US, and that the 21st century could be that of China. But, for Toynbee, those earlier centuries were not only about empire. They were also centuries of achievement.

Dr Chao-shiuan Liu [former President of National Tsing Hua University and former Premier of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan] identified the ancient Chinese philosophical concept of Wang Dao as the missing element for “Sustainable Development”. The three pillars of sustainability are traditionally seen as economic development, environmental protection and social equitability. But Dr Liu adds a fourth; culture… Dr Liu’s point was that to live up to the billing of the 21st century as China’s century, China needs to be a great power not just in terms of economy, but in terms of culture. If we don’t have a clear answer to this cultural question, China will not assume the mantle of leadership.

Prof Yan concluded his address with the following remarks:

Let us approach the unknown with a sense of both inquisitiveness and respect. As you embark on your journey through life, there will be stormy years ahead. But my aspiration is that you always bring with you a fundamental interest in, and respect for, the cultures of others. In that sense you will bring a sense of tolerance to your lives, and also something of the ancient tradition of Wang Dao to our global interactions in the 21st century.

The ceremonies were closed by speeches delivered by Graduate Representatives: Dora Huang Chia-yun, BBA (Honours) in Finance, Kassy Wong Ka-chi, BBA (Honours) in Service Operations Management, Julia Tsoi Hoi-ching, BBA (Honours) in Global Business Systems Management, and Grace Lin weiran, BBA (Honours) in Accountancy.

The 2014 CityU Congregation was held from 11th to 19th November, conferring a total of 7,732 PhDs, Masters, Bachelors, and Associate Degrees.

Congratulations to the graduates!

For Prof Yan’s congregation address, please click here
For more information about the 2014 Congregation, please visit website.