【明報專訊】BACK IN MAY, the appointment of vice-presidents by the Council of the University of Hong Kong threw the university's administration into turmoil. As Council Chairperson Priscilla Wong and HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Zhang Xiang dug their heels in, the government intervened to mediate in the dispute. More than three months on, the HKU Council has met and adopted the report of the government's investigation and study group established to handle the dispute, as a result of which Richard Wong has resumed his post as Interim Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Gong Peng, another Vice-President, has also been reappointed to his original position.
Zhang Xiang is a scientist who returned to China after studying abroad. After becoming the HKU President, he pushed through drastic reforms, which ruffled the feathers of many factions of the university and some vested interests. Some people agree with Zhang's American style of university management, which emphasises efficiency. Others are dissatisfied with his top-down style and have queried whether he has followed established procedure. The HKU Council has become a ''battleground'' where different forces compete.
Late last year, all members of the HKU Council received multiple anonymous email complaints, accusing Zhang of mishandling mainland donations and hiring a headhunting firm without inviting tenders. The emails also mentioned that Zhang had specified that only people ''with experience in American universities'' should be hired as the Dean of Medicine. Zhang said that someone had taken information out of context and leaked it with the intention of hindering the reform of the university.
The affair attracted the attention of the government, which demanded that the HKU Council handle the matter in a fair manner. Ultimately the HKU Council accepted a task force's report and concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate the accusations against Zhang. But soon afterwards, the appointment of vice-presidents provoked controversies out of the blue.
The HKU Council met at the end of May this year and approved the interim appointments of several vice-presidents despite Zhang's opposition. The appointments effectively demoted Richard Wong, the original Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, moving him to another position. Zhang criticised the HKU Council for violating the University of Hong Kong Ordinance and the Statutes by circumventing the president in the appointments of vice presidents. The two sides were locked in a struggle. At last, the government intervened and established an investigation and study group to seek a resolution of the two sides' differences.
Over the past few months, the public has been in the dark about who the Interim Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the university was. Even people of the HKU were unsure about it. Yesterday (3 September), the HKU Council met to listen to the report of the government's investigation and study group and adopted its suggestions, bringing the incident to an initial closure. According to participants of the meeting, Richard Wong, the original Interim Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Gong Peng, the original Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development), have both returned to their original positions. As for the personnel appointments and decisions made by the HKU Council in May, the newly created position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health) will be assumed by Professor Lau Chak-sing, the Dean of Medicine. Most of the other appointments and personnel changes have been effectively overturned.
Over the past few years, HKU has launched a drive to recruit top scholars from overseas to bolster HKU's scientific research capabilities. This is a right step in the developmental direction of HKU and must be continued. Of course, the ongoing administrative turmoil at the university provides food for thought for all sides, who should reflect on their own shortcomings and put an end to the battle of wills. However, reform must be pursued the hard way, and the university management must remain steadfast in what is right. Factional conflicts must not stand in the way of HKU's and Hong Kong's attraction of scholars and talent from all over the world.
明報社評 2024.09.04：港大副校風波峰迴路轉 堅持改革延攬頂尖學者
香港大學校務委員會5月任命副校長引發校政風波，校委會主席王沛詩與校長張翔各執一詞，政府介入調解。事隔3個多月，港大校委會開會，通過政府調研小組的報告，王于漸重返暫任首席副校長崗位，另一副校長宮鵬亦調回原職。
張翔是「海歸」科學家，2018年擔任港大校長後，厲行改革，觸動校內不少「山頭」及既得利益，有人認同張翔強調效率的美式大學管理風格，亦有人不滿其強勢作風，質疑他不依程序辦事，而校委會則成為了不同力量較勁的「戰場」。
去年底，港大校委會全員收到多封匿名投訴電郵，指控包括張翔處理內地捐款不當、聘用獵頭公司沒有招標等，另外又提到張翔在遴選醫學院長時，曾指定要聘請「具有美國高校經驗」。張翔則指有人斷章取義泄密，意圖阻礙大學改革。
事態惹來政府關注，要求港大校委會公正處理。最後校委會接納專責小組調查報告，認為沒有充分證據確立對張翔的指控，未料不久又爆出副校長任命風波。
港大校委會今年5月底開會，不理張翔反對，通過多名暫任副校長任命，原首席副校長王于漸變相被貶，調到其他崗位，張翔批評校委會違反《香港大學條例及規程》，繞過校長任命副校長，雙方僵持不下，最後政府介入，成立調研小組，尋求化解分歧。
過去數月，究竟誰是港大暫任首席副校長，莫說外界搞不清，就連港大中人亦有疑惑。昨天港大校委會開會，聽取調研小組報告並接納建議，事件得到初步解決。根據與會者說法，原為暫任首席副校長的王于漸，以及原為學術發展副校長的宮鵬，皆回到原來崗位。至於校委會5月所作的人事任命和決定，當中新設的「健康事務」副校長一職，將繼續由醫學院長劉澤星擔任，其餘任命及調動，大多變相撤回。
過去數年，港大積極延攬海外頂尖學者，充實港大的科研實力，發展方向正確，必須繼續堅持。當然，港大校政風波持續多時，各方都應反思自身不是之處，停止意氣之爭，然而推動改革就要敢於啃硬骨頭，大學管理層必須擇善固執，不能因為山頭主義，妨礙港大以至香港吸引五湖四海的學者與人才。
■/ Glossary 生字 /
turmoil /ˈtɜːmɔɪl/：a state of great anxiety and confusion
dig your heels in：to refuse to do sth or to change your mind about sth
faction /ˈfækʃn/：a small group of people within a larger one, whose members have some different aims and beliefs to those of the larger group