6 September 2022
Dear Students and Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the 67th Convocation of Hong Kong Baptist University. Convocation brings together the HKBU community and allows us to reflect on what it means to be a part of HKBU, reaffirm our mission and goals, and consider the possibilities awaiting all of us in the year ahead and beyond. I am especially thrilled to welcome our new incoming students to the HKBU family. Congratulations on entering university! You have come a long way and this is certainly a major milestone in your lives.
The world has been undergoing a great transformation, to an extent which is beyond our imagination. The technological revolution has almost changed every aspect of our lives. The development of meta universities or campuses has opened up a new horizon in education. Sooner or later, you will hardly be able to tell whether I am talking to you in person, or through a hologram or other virtual means, until I shake hands with you! The AI scientists of HKBU can even collect the data from my voice, intonation and manner of speech, and present to you an address that I have not delivered myself, with my consent, of course! But I still choose to warmly welcome you in person. These changes bring about both challenges and endless possibilities at the same time. But let me assure you: You made the right decision by choosing HKBU, as you will have a transformative experience here!
For one thing, HKBU is one of the most vibrant liberal arts universities in Asia and the world. We respond to the changing needs of the times, and nurture future-ready students by creating a transdisciplinary research and education environment. We also harness the brilliance of those in our university community to drive the world forward. Since HKBU was founded 66 years ago, we have become a leader in many fields, leveraging our expertise and specialities to create new knowledge, address global challenges and make progress.
To us, progress means improving upon the status quo to make the world a better place. To a large extent, progress springs from innovation. The spirit of innovation for progress has always been a vital component of our HKBU identity. While many people worry about losing their jobs to AI and feel threatened, the artists and scientists at HKBU have been collaborating with AI to take the development of AI and artistic creation to another level of excellence. This is a perfect example of our innovative spirit, and how HKBU embraces challenges and advances humanity.
Recently, our artists and AI scientists launched the ground-breaking “Turing AI Orchestra”. It’s the world’s first Decentralised Autonomous Organisation ecosystem that enables art creation through collaborations between scientists and artists using blockchain technology. Before that, we staged the annual gala concert of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra in July, and in it we showcased the world’s first human-AI performance involving a symphony orchestra, an AI virtual choir, an AI media artist and AI virtual dancers. These artistic entities are part of a major research project we are now conducting to develop technologies in support of human-AI symbiotic art creativity. In terms of our approach to innovation, this is one of the directions we are heading in, and it illustrates how HKBU is pushing the frontiers of technology and transforming the development of the arts and culture through disruptive ideas.
Making progress is everybody’s business. Making progress is certainly not the exclusive domain of policy-makers, renowned experts or award-winning scholars. Rather, it is something that everyone, including you—our students—can take part in. As the generation who have overcome the effects of the pandemic over the past few years to get into university, you have witnessed how the world has changed, and how people around us have been coming up with innovative ways to survive and thrive. You can innovate and make progress, even as university students.
HKBU is a progressive place of unbounded possibilities. Here, you will find yourselves walking among innovators and game-changers. You will be thrilled by the creative elements in whatever we do. In this cradle of creativity, which is the synonym for HKBU, your capacity for innovation and progress will be enhanced by the inquisitive culture and interactive environment. And our experienced and world-leading faculty will be your guiding lights on this unbounded journey of exploration, transformation and self-development.
No matter what you study at HKBU—whether it’s one of the arts or sciences, or indeed a mixture of both, I hope all of you will keep thinking and imagining what you can bring to the world and create in times of need. American scientist Linus Pauling once said, “The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away.” Great progress always begins with a thought or an idea in one’s mind.
However, ideas alone are not enough. Progress requires action. Authentic changes can only be achieved if we put bold ideas into motion. Remember: It is important to “walk the talk” if you wish to turn ideas into reality. It may sound simple, but too often, as I have seen, many promising ideas sadly never leave the page or take off.
When the novel coronavirus raged in Hong Kong in the earlier stages of the pandemic, it propelled us to do things differently and creatively. Before the fifth wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong earlier this year, online consultations by Chinese medicine practitioners were but a pipe dream, as they can’t perform palpation, one of the four traditional diagnostic concepts, without meeting the patients in person. However, the urge to help patients receive timely treatment for COVID without spreading the virus to the community acted as a powerful catalyst for us to introduce free online Chinese medicine consultations and door-to-door deliveries of herbal medicine. Together with the experts from our Department of Social Work, who provided emotional support, HKBU delivered holistic care to over 40,000 COVID patients during the fifth wave of the pandemic. Our pioneering healthcare service model was soon widely acclaimed, and the rest is history. Online consultations or telemedicine have now become the new normal for treating COVID patients.
Thus at HKBU, I urge you to Be You, Be Bold! Dare to try, and dare to fail! Only the sky is the limit!
Throughout the years, HKBU has never ceased to make progress with the aim of staying on top as a leading liberal arts university with long-term sustainability in mind. We focus not only on delivering an excellent transdisciplinary education, but also on innovating in art-tech, Chinese medicine, communications and many other fields to bring about comprehensive and transformative progress for humankind. This is an exciting time to be at HKBU. As we embrace the beginning of a new academic year, let us work together, and be a powerful force of progress makers for our society and the world.
Once again, welcome to HKBU! And Begin your Unbounded journey!
Thank you.