CityU Council approves Vet School
The proposed School of Veterinary Medicine (School), which is a key initiative in the University’s Strategic Plan 2010-2015 that was approved unanimously by the Senate in January 2010, was endorsed overwhelmingly by the Council of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) at a special meeting on 13 October 2011. The Council’s approval marks a major milestone in the University’s pursuit of excellence in research and professional education. As the Council Chair, Mr. C Y Leung noted, “the School will enable CityU to become an international public health node with significant local and regional impact.” “The new School at CityU is guided by the global ideal of ‘One Health, One World,’” said Professor KUO, the President. “It emphasizes the interconnectedness between human health and animal health. CityU is proud to be able to contribute to the global partnerships between the East and the West to raise the standard of veterinary medicine as our global responsibility.” The vision of the School is to set a high standard for public health, food safety, and animal welfare in Asia. Another important objective is to strengthen the strategic role of Hong Kong’s higher education sector as an active agent of high-level knowledge transfer and international standard-setting to support the local and the region’s industrial and professional services sectors for sustainable development and to reach out to the global market. The School will be formally launched during the 2013–14 academic year, with a view to admitting the first cohort of students, initially on a self-financed basis, in the 2014–15 academic year. It embodies CityU’s commitment to pursue professional education that anticipates and responds directly to the needs of society and the aspirations of students. The School aims to become an internationally-accredited veterinary school and a centre of excellence in veterinary medicine in Asia. It will create new career paths and expand economic opportunities for Hong Kong’s professional services beyond the confines of its local community. It will nurture a new culture of conservation and respect for animals and the environment, aligning with a growing global sustainability movement. The School is strongly supported by Cornell University, an internationally recognised leader in veterinary education. Under an agreement signed in December 2009, the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University is committed to providing CityU with a 10-year period of consultancy and assistance in the planning, establishment, operation and quality assurance of the School. Cornell University will also enrol two CityU students in its Doctor of Veterinary Medicine programme each year for three consecutive years, starting from 2013–2014. The School will provide world-class undergraduate and postgraduate professional education programmes, first-rate facilities and services, and cutting-edge research in animal medicine. It will enable Hong Kong and the region to better manage and prevent both existing and emerging diseases originating from animals, thereby contributing to public health, food safety, and animal welfare in the region. The School will also act as a synergistic platform for inter-disciplinary research and collaborations involving life sciences with other disciplines, thereby enhancing CityU’s ability to tackle a broad range of strategically important issues. The School will enrich the learning experience of CityU’s students. The launch of the school will take place one year after the full implementation of the new 4-year curriculum at CityU. There is already strong community backing and financial support for the project from friends, student leaders, and alumni of the University, including the two recent generous donations from The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong Limited and The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust. A separate budget account has been set up by the University to support the establishment of the School on a self-financed basis. The School’s enrolment goal is to admit 30 students to the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) programme a year after the school is founded, with a long-term goal of admitting 50 students per year. Students will earn their degree in six years in the BVM programme, which is modeled on the successful experience of related programmes at Cornell University, with suitable adaptation to Hong Kong’s environment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the University community and the Council for their valuable contributions and support of this important initiative.
Professor Matthew Lee
University Spokesperson Communications and Public Relations Office
City University of Hong Kong
城大校董會批准動物醫學院計劃
香港城市大學（城大）成立動物醫學院的計劃，在2010年1月獲教務會一致通過，並於2011年10月13日校董會特別會議上以絕大多數贊成票獲得通過。動物醫學院是城大「2010-2015 年策略性發展計劃」的重要建議。校董會批准成立動物醫學院，標誌城大踏入新里程，繼續在研究與專業教育發展上邁向卓越。正如校董會主席梁振英先生指出，「該學院將使城大成為對本港和亞洲各地影響深遠的國際公共衛生樞紐。」 城大校長郭位教授說：「新成立的動物醫學院遵循『同一世界，同一健康』的全球理念，強調人類健康與動物健康相互關聯。城大能夠負起應盡的責任，推動東西方攜手提高動物醫學水準，感到自豪。」 動物醫學院的願景，是為亞洲地區的公共衛生、食物安全、動物福利確立嚴格的標準。另一個重大目標，是促使香港高教界在推動知識轉移、確立國際標準方面，發揮積極作用，促進本地和區內有關產業及專業服務的可持續發展，並與全球市場接軌。 學院將於2013-14學年正式成立，次年即2014-15學年開始以自資方式招收第一批學生。此計劃體現了城大的辦學願景，即追求以卓越的專業教育回應社會當前及未來的需求，並協助學生實踐抱負。學院立志成為擁有國際專業認證的獸醫學院，並成為亞洲地區的卓越動物醫學教研中心，創造新的專業發展機會，並把香港的專業服務擴展至其他國家與地區。學院亦可樹立新的動物和環境保育文化，以配合可持續發展的全球趨勢。 城大獲得全球獸醫學界首屈一指的美國康奈爾大學大力支持。城大在2009年12月與康奈爾大學簽署合作協議。根據協議，康奈爾大學在十年期間為城大動物醫學院的籌劃、建立、運行以及質素保證提供諮詢與協助。此外，康奈爾大學將從2013-14學年起，連續三年，每年錄取兩名城大學生，入讀該校動物醫學博士課程。 學院將提供世界級本科生及研究生專業教育課程、一流的設施和服務、最尖端的動物醫學硏究。學院將有助香港及亞洲各地更好地控制、預防已知及新出的源於動物的疾病，從而改善公共衛生、食物安全和動物福利。學院也將促進生命科學與其他領域的跨學科研究及合作，增強和擴展城大的科研能力。學院也將令城大學生的求學經歷更為豐富。 動物醫學院將在城大推行本科四年新學制一年之後正式成立。城大友好、學生領袖和校友等各界人士已對學院給予大力支持和捐助，其中包括邵氏基金和劉鑾雄慈善基金最近慷慨捐贈的兩筆款項。大學已設立獨立帳戶，處理以自資方式營運的動物醫學院的財務。 學院將於正式成立一年後錄取30名學生，修讀動物醫學學士課程；長遠目標是每年錄取50名學生。為期六年的課程仿照康奈爾大學相關課程的成功經驗設置，並據香港本地情況而作適當調整。 在此謹向支持動物醫學院的城大社群及校董會表達誠摯謝意。
大學發言人李國安教授
香港城市大學傳訊及公關處 (大學通告以英文版本為準)