2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education · PDF fileProf Kok-Khoo Phua (Co-Chair) ... Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, ... 2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference 2nd Pan Asia

Institute of Advanced StudiesCollege of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference第二届泛亚博雅教育研讨会

28 to 29 October 2015Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Supported by

FOREWORD 4

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 5

PROGRAM 6

SPEAKERS’ PROFILES 8

ABSTRACTS 20

CONTENTS

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2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference

A very warm welcome to the 2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference in

Singapore!

The first Liberal Arts Education Conference was held in April 2014 at the University

of Nottingham Ningbo China. Organized by Professor Yang Fujia, it was a resounding

success. NTU Singapore is pleased to be the host of the second Liberal Arts Education

Conference. We are deeply grateful to our distinguished speakers from China, South

Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, India, Philippines and Singapore, who will be sharing

their insight on a topic of critical importance to future human development.

Liberal arts education remains strongest in the US, although it is gaining considerable

attention in Asia in recent years. Institutions of higher education in Asia traditionally place

high emphasis on training students for special careers in specialized fields. Today, liberal

arts education itself is going through significant changes, although it remains committed

to its education principles and goals in developing well-rounded individuals with broad

knowledge, discipline of mind, and a strong sense of values. A liberal arts education can

help prepare our students for an uncertain future in a world that is increasingly complex

and interconnected,

Thank you again for your support. We wish everyone a fruitful Conference ahead and for

those visiting from abroad, a pleasant stay in Singapore.

Prof Kok-Khoo Phua (Co-Chair) Prof Alan Chan (Co-Chair)Institute of Advanced Studies College of Humanities, Arts, &Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Social Sciences, NTU

FOREWORD ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

International Advisory Committee

Name Institution

Tony CHAN Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Da Hsuan FENG University of Macau

Steve KANG Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Choon Fong SHIH Founding President of KAUST and Former President of NUS

Fujia YANG University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Co-Chairs

Name Institution

Alan CHAN College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, NTU

Kok Khoo PHUA Institute of Advanced Studies, NTU

Local Organizing Committee

Name Institution

Meng H wa ER International Affairs, President’s Office, NTU

Lo-fen I College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, NTU

Michael KHOR Research Support Office and Bibliometrics Analysis, NTU

Leong Chuan KWEK Institute of Advanced Studies, NTU

Choy Heng LAI National University of Singapore

Hong LIU School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU

Hwee Boon LOW Institute of Advanced Studies, NTU

May LWIN College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, NTU

Jan VASBINDER Para Limes, NTU

Shuyan XU National Institute of Education, NTU

Min ZHOU Chinese Heritage Centre, NTU

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PROGRAM

Day 1: Wednesday, 28 October 2015

8:30 am Registration

9:00 am - 9:15 am Welcome Address: Kok Khoo PHUA (IAS, NTU) Fujia YANG (University of Nottingham Ningbo China)

Opening Address: Guest of Honour: Guaning SU (President Emeritus, NTU)

Session Chair: Kok Khoo PHUA (IAS, NTU)

9:15 am - 10:00 am Fujia YANG (University of Nottingham Ningbo China) Copenhagen Spirit and Liberal Arts Education

10:00 am - 10:45 am Kenneth YOUNG (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) Liberal Education and General Education: Differences, Challenges and Models for Asia

10:45 am - 11:15 am Group Photo and Coffee Break

Session Chair: Fujia YANG (University of Nottingham Ningbo China)

11:15 am - 12:00 pm Anita PATANKAR (Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts) Looking Towards New Models of Liberal Arts Education for National Development

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm Ka Ho MOK (Lingnan University) The Quest for Regional Education Hub Status: Challenges and Prospects for Liberal Arts Education in Asia

12:45 pm - 1:45 pm Lunch

Session Chair: Chia-Wei WOO (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

1:45 pm - 2:30 pm Da Hsuan FENG (University of Macau) “Mindset of the Soul”: The Aim of “Liberal Arts Education”

2:30 pm - 3:15 pm Alan CHAN (Nanyang Technological University) Arts and Humanities in a Global Technological University

3:15 pm - 3:45 pm Coffee Break

Session Chair: Da Hsuan FENG (University of Macau)

3:45 pm - 4:00 pm Corazon TORALBA (University of Asia and the Pacific) Liberal Education: Education for Love, Life and Freedom?

4:00 pm - 4:15 pm Stephen Shang-Tseh CHOU (Nanyang Technological University) Liberal Arts Education vs. the Virtual Public Sphere in the Information Age

4:15 pm - 5:45 pm Roundtable Discussion on Liberal Arts Education in Asia in the 21st Century

Panel speakers:

• Alan CHAN (Nanyang Technological University)

• Peihua GU (Shantou University)

• Xiaofeng JIN (Fudan University)

• Ka Ho MOK (Lingnan University)

• Anita PATANKAR (Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts)

• Chia-Wei WOO (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

• Fujia YANG (University of Nottingham Ningbo China)

• Kenneth YOUNG (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

7:00 pm **Dinner Banquet (by invitation only)

**Dinner Banquet at Shangri-La HotelTwo-way transport will be provided. Please gather at the NEC Guest Wing Lobby (Level 1) by 6.00pm.

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Alan CHANDean, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Nanyang Technological University

Prof Alan Chan received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Canada, in Chinese and comparative philosophy

and religion. Prior to joining NTU in late 2009, he was Professor of Philosophy and Associate Provost for

Undergraduate Education at the National University of Singapore (NUS). While at NUS, he was twice awarded the

Teaching Excellence Award. He is a member of the Founding Editorial Board, Oxford Bibliographies of Chinese

Studies; member of the Board of Directors, Consortium of Humanities Centres and Institutes; Chairman of the Board

of Directors, Confucius Institute, NTU; member of the International Advisory Panel, Asia Competiveness Institute,

Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS; member of the Editorial Board, Journal of Daoist Studies (USA); and

member of several other Boards. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors, Singapore Examination and

Assessment Board (2007-2010).

SPEAKERS’ PROFILES

Mau-Chung Frank CHANGPresident

National Chiao Tung University

Prof Mau-Chung Frank Chang is presently the President of National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), Hsinchu,

Taiwan. Previously, he was the Chairman and Wintek Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at University

of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (1997-2015).

Before joining UCLA, he was the Assistant Director and Department Manager of the High Speed Electronics

Laboratory of Rockwell International Science Center (1983-1997), Thousand Oaks, California. In this tenure, he

developed and transferred the AlGaAs/GaAs Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) and BiFET (Planar HBT/MES-

FET) integrated circuit technologies from the research laboratory to the production line (later became Conexant

Systems and Skyworks).

The HBT/BiFET productions have grown into multi-billion dollar businesses and have dominated the cell phone

power amplifier and front-end module markets for the past twenty years (currently exceeding 10 billion units per

year and exceeding 50 billion units in the last decade). Throughout his career, Prof Chang’s research has primarily

focused on the research and development of high-speed semiconductor devices and integrated circuits for RF and

mixed-signal communication radar and imaging system applications. He was the principal investigator at Rockwell

Day 2: Thursday, 29 October 2015

Session Chair: Pericles LEWIS (Yale-NUS College)

9:00 am - 9:45 am Chia-Wei WOO (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) A Unique Liberal Arts Education for Undergraduates

9:45 am - 10:30 am Xiaofeng JIN (Fudan University) Science with Humanity Flavor: Liberal Arts Education Transformation in the 21st Century

10:30 am - 11:00 am Coffee Break

Session Chair: Anthony TEO (Chevalier of the Order Palmes Académiques)

11:00 am - 11:45 am Peihua GU (Shantou University) STU-Advanced Undergraduate Education for Individualized Learning

11:45 am - 12:30 pm Pericles LEWIS (Yale-NUS College) Innovation in Liberal Education

12:30 pm - 1:30 pm Lunch

Session Chair: Wei ZHAO (University of Macau)

1:30 pm - 2:15 pm Joseph SUNG (The Chinese University of Hong Kong) Should we Vocationalize Higher Education?

2:15 pm - 3:00 pm Steve KANG (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) Promoting Cultural Diversity, Integrity and Global Leadership in KAIST Education

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Coffee Break

Session Chair: Steve KANG (KAIST)

3:30 pm - 4:15 pm Wei ZHAO (University of Macau) UMacau: A New Campus for a New Education Model

4:15 pm - 5:00 pm Mau-Chung Frank CHANG (National Chiao Tong University) Rejuvenate Liberal Arts Education with the Learning of Tools

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in leading DARPA ultra-high speed ADC/DAC development for Direct Conversion Transceiver (DCT) and Digital

Radar Receivers (DRR) systems. He was the inventor of the multiband, reconfigurable RF-Interconnects for Chip-

Multi-Processor (CMP) inter-core communications and inter-chip CPU-to-Memory communications. He was the

first to demonstrate a CMOS active imager at sub-mm-Wave (180GHz) based on a Time-Encoded Digital

Regenerative Receiver. He also pioneered the development of self-healing 57-64GHz radio-on-a-chip (DARPA’s

HEALICs program) with embedded sensors, actuators and self-diagnosis/curing capabilities; and ultra low phase

noise VCO (F.O.M. < -200dBc/Hz) with the invented Digitally Controlled Artificial Dielectric (DiCAD) embedded in

CMOS technologies to vary its transmission-line permittivity in real-time (up to 20X) for realizing reconfigurable

multiband/mode radios in (sub-)mm-Wave frequencies. He also realized the first CMOS VCO for Terahertz operation

(1.3THz) and devised the first tri-color CMOS active imager at 180-500GHz based on a Time-Encoded Digital

Regenerative Receiver and the first 3-dimensional SAR imaging radar with sub-centimeter range resolution at

144GHz.

Prof Chang is a member of the US National Academy of Engineering and an Academician of Academia Sinica,

Taiwan, Republic of China. He is also a Fellow of IEEE. He has received numerous awards including Rockwell’s

Leonardo Da Vinci Award (Engineer of the Year, 1992), IEEE David Sarnoff Award (2006), Pan Wen Yuan Foundation

Award (2008), CESASC Life-Time Achievement Award (2009) and John J. Guarrera Engineering Educator of the Year

Award from the Engineers’ Council (2014). He also received National Chiao Tung University’s Honorary Doctorate

of Engineering (2012), National Taiwan University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award (2013), and National Tsing Hua

University’s Honorary Doctorate of Engineering (2013).

Stephen Shang Tseh CHOUVisiting Research Fellow, Centre for Chinese Language and Culture

Nanyang Technological University

Dr Chou received his Ph.D. from the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University

and is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture in the School of

Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU. His major field of research is medieval Chinese state ritual, with an extended

interest in the studies of theatrical politics and ritual-like activities such as mass protests in modern democratic

societies.

Da Hsuan FENGDirector of Global Affairs and Special Advisor to Rector, University of Macau

Former Senior Vice President, National Tsing Hua University

Prof Da Hsuan Feng is the Director of Global Affairs and Special Advisor to Rector of University of Macau (UMacau).

He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and an expert in nuclear and nuclear astrophysics, quantum optics,

and mathematical physics, with wide range of experiences and outstanding achievements as a scholar, researcher

and leader of university comprehensive development. Prof Feng assists UMacau in developing global strategies,

thus allowing UMacau to attain new level of international recognition.

Prof Feng has accumulated more than three decades of experience working in the academia and corporate arenas

in the United States and Taiwan. He was M. Russell Wehr Chair Professor of Physics at Drexel University, Director

of the Division of Theoretical Physics of the United States National Science Foundation, Vice President for research

and economic development at the University of Texas at Dallas, Vice President of the Fortune 500 Science

Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and Senior Vice President of Tsing Hua University and Cheng Kung

University in Taiwan. Throughout his career, Prof Feng has maintained intimate contact and collaborations with

universities and other organizations in Europe, the United States, Canada as well as East, South and Southeast Asia.

He has served in the capacity as advisor and board member at numerous national labs and high-tech companies in

the United States; visiting professor and honorary professor at 13 top universities in China; as well as board member

and advisor for science and technology at several universities in China, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Peihua GUProvost and Vice President

Shantou University

Prof Peihua Gu is currently Provost and Vice President of Shantou University, China. Prior to joining Shantou

University, Prof Gu was Head of the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering (1999-2005),

Associate Dean, Faculty of Engineering (1997-1999), the University of Calgary. He is an elected Fellow of the

Canadian Academy of Engineering (June 2004) and elected Fellow of International Academy of Production

Engineering-CIRP (August 2004). Prof Gu was awarded the Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professorship. He was also

twice awarded Industrial Research and Design Chair Professorships by the Natural Science and Engineering

Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in 1995 and 2000 respectively. He was recipient of the 2011 Leading Talent

of Guangdong Province, China.

As Head of Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, the University of Calgary, Prof Gu led the Manufacturing

Engineering program to win the 2003 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) University LEAD Award.

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Prof Gu first introduced international CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) engineering education initiative

to Shantou University, China in 2005. Currently, he is Chairman of Chinese Pilot Implementation Committee and

Research and Application Committee of CDIO, Ministry of Education. CDIO engineering education initiative has

been adopted in many universities in China.

Prof Gu’s main research contributions include establishing the Adaptable Design Method and multi-process

deposition method. He is an author and co-author of over 200 technical publications with a large number of

citations. Prof Gu has been an invited keynote or plenary speaker for a number of national and international

conferences. He is a recipient of several awards and recognitions, including the Joseph Whitworth Prize by

Institution of Mechanical Engineers, UK, the Best Technical Paper Award of 11th CIRP Design Conference in Korea

and several other research awards.

Prof Gu is currently a member of the 6th Advisory Council for Engineering and Materials, and 1st Advisory Council

for International Cooperation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He is Vice Chair of Mechanical

Engineering of Educational Supervisory Committee of Ministry of Education, Chairman of Accreditation Decision

Review Committee of China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (CEEAA), and serves as a member in

other international and national professional organizations.

Xiaofeng JINProfessor of Physics

Fudan University

Prof Xiaofeng Jin received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Fudan University in 1983 and 1989 respectively. He is currently a

Xie Xide Professor of Physics at Fudan University and Chair of the IUPAP Commission on Magnetism (C9).

Steve Sung-Mo KANGPresident

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Prof Sung-Mo “Steve” Kang was inaugurated as the 15th President of KAIST on February 27, 2013. He was a

Distinguished Chair Professor of the University of California, Santa Cruz from July 1, 2011 to February 2013 and the

2nd Chancellor of the University of California, Merced from March 1, 2007 to June 30, 2011.

From January 1, 2001 to February 28, 2007 he was the 2nd Dean of the Baskin School of Engineering and Professor

of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

From August 1995 to December 2000, he served as Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Prior to UIUC, he was Supervisor of High-End Microprocessor

Design at AT&T Bell Laboratories at Murray Hill and also had served as a faculty member of Rutgers University.

He was a Visiting Professor at EPFL, Switzerland (1989, 2006, 2012), KAIST (2002), Technical University of Munich

(1998), and the University of Karlsruhe (1997).

He has advised nearly 60 Ph.D. students for their completion, published over 450 papers in premier journals and

conferences, and was granted 16 patents.

He has served as President of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (1991) and the Silicon Valley Engineering

Council (2002-2003), Founding Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems (1992-1994).

Prof Kang’s awards include Korean Person of the Year Award in the field of science and technology (2014), Fairleigh

Dickinson University Society of Pinnacle Award (2013), KAST Deok Myeong Engineering Award (2010), Silicon Valley

Engineering Hall of Fame Induction (2009), Korean-American Leadership Award (2008), ISQED Quality Award (2008),

Chang-Lin Tien Leadership Award (2007), IEEE Mac Van Valkenburg CAS Society Award (2005), IEEE Millennium

Medal (2000), SRC Technical Excellence Award (1999), KBS Award in Industrial Technology (1998), IEEE Circuits

and Systems Society Technical Excellence Award (1997), Alexander von Humboldt Award for Senior US Scientists

(1996), IEEE Leon K. Kirchmayer Graduate Teaching Technical Field Award (1996), IEEE Darlington Best Journal

Paper Award (1993), other best paper awards, and Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of California,

Berkeley (2001) and Distinguished Yonsei Alumni Award (2008).

He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1975), M.S. from the State University of New York,

Buffalo (1972), and B.S. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ (1970), all in electrical engineering. In 1969

he was selected and sent to Fairleigh Dickinson University by Yonsei University with a full scholarship from Fairleigh

Dickinson University.

He is a fellow of IEEE, ACM, AAAS, a member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), and was

a member of the California Council on Science and Technology. He also serves on the advisory board of the

Deliberation Committee of the National Academy of Engineering, South Korea; Global Agenda Councils (GAC)

Future of Electronics, World Economic Forum; Constitutional Court of Korea; Moscow Institute of Physics and

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Technology, Russia; International Academic Advisory Panel (IAAP), Ministry of Education Singapore; Global

Universities Leaders Forum (GULF), World Economic Forum; Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning;

Masdar Institute, UAE; Global HR Forum, South Korea; International Science and Business Belt Committee, South

Korea; Leading Scientists Nominating Committee of Korea Academy of Science and Technology.

Pericles LEWISPresident

Yale-NUS College

Prof Pericles Lewis, Founding President and Professor of Humanities at Yale-NUS College, took office on July 1,

2012. Under his leadership, the College has recruited its initial faculty, designed an innovative new curriculum,

and enrolled outstanding students from 40 countries from six continents. Yale-NUS also developed unique extra-

curricular activities, experiential learning programs, and a thriving residential life in its new campus, which has won

awards for its environmentally sound design and for its landscaping.

Prof Lewis has served as an advocate in Singapore, the United States, and internationally, for liberal education. He

has made “building a community of learning” a major theme of his presidency. Under his watch, Yale-NUS has been

praised as a model for reinventing residential liberal arts and science education in the context of 21st-century Asia.

Before taking office, Prof Lewis served as Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Yale University. An

expert on literary modernism, he has authored three books on twentieth-century European literature, all published

by Cambridge University Press. He is also an editor of the “Norton Anthology of World Literature and The Norton

Anthology of Western Literature”. His research shows how developments in literary history emerge out of

background of social, political, and existential ferment. A graduate of McGill and Stanford Universities, Prof Lewis

held a Social Science and Humanities Research Council Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, before

joining Yale in 1998. At Yale, he taught widely in English and European literature and literary theory and was awarded

the Graduate Mentor Award for his work with over a dozen Ph.D. advisees. At Yale-NUS, he teaches courses on

Joseph Conrad and Modern British Poetry.

Prof Lewis previously chaired a number of college and university committees at Yale, including the Committee on

Majors of Yale College and the Humanities Search Committee for Yale-NUS College. He has served on the advisory

board of the American Comparative Literature Association and on the editorial boards of several journals. Prof

Lewis has received a variety of academic honours, including Whiting and Morse fellowships, as well as awards for

his contribution to extra-curricular and intellectual life, including the Graduates’ Society Award for Student Service

at McGill.

Prof Lewis is a citizen of both Canada and the United States. His wife, Sheila Hayre, a graduate of Yale Law School,

is Senior Lecturer in Law at the National University of Singapore. They and their two children, Siddhartha and Maya,

live in the Yale-NUS residential college in University Town, Singapore.

Ka Ho MOKVice President

Lingnan University

Prof Ka Ho Mok is the Vice President and concurrently Chair Professor of Comparative Policy of Lingnan

University. Before joining Lingnan, he was the Vice President (Research and Development) and Chair Professor

of Comparative Policy of The Hong Kong Institute of Education, and the Associate Dean and Professor of Social

Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences of The University of Hong Kong. Prior to this, Prof Mok was appointed as the

Founding Chair Professor in East Asian Studies and established the Centre for East Asian Studies at the University

of Bristol, United Kingdom.

Prof Mok is no narrow disciplinary specialist but has worked creatively across the academic worlds of sociology,

political science, and public and social policy while building up his wide knowledge of China and the region. Prof

Mok completed his undergraduate studies in Public and Social Administration at the City University of Hong Kong

in 1989, and received an M.Phil and Ph.D. in Sociology from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1991 and The

London School of Economics and Political Science in 1994 respectively.

In addition, Prof Mok has published extensively in the fields of comparative education policy, comparative

development and policy studies, and social development in contemporary China and East Asia. In particular, he has

contributed to the field of social change and education policy in a variety of ways, not the least of which has been his

leadership and entrepreneurial approach to the organization of the field. His recent published works have focused

on comparative social development and social policy responses in the Greater China region and East Asia. He is

also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Asian Public Policy (London: Routledge) and Asian Education and

Development Studies (Emerald) as well as a Book Series Editor for Routledge and Springer.

Anita PATANKARDirector

Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts

Anita Patankar has been involved in the field of education for over 30 years. Prior to setting up India’s first liberal

arts program in 2006, she was Head, Department of Marketing at the Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce

where she received an Excellence Award for teaching marketing and consumer behavior at the undergraduate

and postgraduate level. A qualified counselor, she has served on committees for distance learning and quality

assurance. At present, she serves on the board of trustees of ECONET, is the Deputy Director of the Symbiosis

Centre for International Education and a member of the Board of Studies, the SIU Scrutiny Committee and the

Vision 2020 committee.

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Joseph J.Y. SUNGPresident and Vice Chancellor

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Prof Joseph Sung is the Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), holding

also the Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine.

Prof Sung’s research interests include gastro-intestinal bleeding, Helicobacter pylori infection, peptic ulcer, hepatitis

B, and colorectal cancer. Prof Sung and his team proved the relationship between H. pylori and peptic ulcer

diseases. They were first in demonstrating that a course of antibiotics lasting a week can cure H. pylori infection

and successfully treat peptic ulcers and minimize their relapse. At the same time, Prof Sung and his research team

pioneered the use of endoscopic treatment for ulcer bleeding to reduce the need for operative surgery. These

research results have a major impact on and have changed the practice of gastroenterology worldwide. Prof Sung

also led a group of experts from 15 Asia-Pacific countries to launch colorectal cancer screening research in 2004,

and has laid down clear guidelines and promoted colorectal screenings in the region. Because of his work in cancer

screening and prevention, he was honored by the Prevent Cancer Foundation of the United States with the Laurel

Award.

He has published over 790 full scientific articles in the foremost journals and reviewed more than 15 prestigious

journals. His contributions to the advancement of medical sciences and academic development have been

recognized with awards such as the Outstanding Staff and Team Award (Hospital Authority, 1998), Eminent Scientist

of the Year 2003 (The International Research Promotion Council, 2003), the Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching

Award (CUHK, 2003), Silver Bauhinia Star (HKSAR Government, 2004), Cheung Kong Achievement Award (Ministry

of Education, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Li Ka Shing Foundation, 2006), The Most Outstanding

Contribution Award (Clinical Therapeutics) (Food and Health Bureau, HKSAR Government, 2007), and the State

Scientific and Technological Progress Award (Second-Class Award, National Office for Science and Technology

Awards, PRC, 2007). He is an Honorary Member of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. In 2009,

his seminal lectures on peptic ulcer bleeding won him the Marshall and Warren Lecture Award. In the same year,

he also won the Endoscopy Award of the German Society of Gastroenterology. In 2011, he was elected as an

academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and, in 2013, he was presented with the World Outstanding

Chinese Award.

Corazon TORALBAChair of Philosophy Department

University of Asia and the Pacific

Dr Corazon Toralba is the current chairperson of the Philosophy Department of the University of Asia and the

Pacific. She obtained her Ph.D. in Philosophy from the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila,

Philippines. Her research interests include social and ethical issues, education, values, marriage, and family. She

co-edited “Love in Trial: Adjusting and Assigning Relationships” (e-book) published by Interdisciplinary Press of

Oxford, England and Building Community in a Mobile/Global Age: Migration and Hospitality published by Catholic

University of America’s Council for Values and Research in Philosophy (CRVP) of Washington, D.C., USA. She was

Visiting Researcher of CRVP in 2012 and appointed Guest Researcher of Advanced Institute of Humanistic Studies

of Hubei University, China in 2013. She was a member of the Board of Directors for the Philosophical Association of

the Philippines, Inc. for ten years while holding elected positions in different capacities. She is the Country Director

of the International Society for Value Inquiry.

Chia-Wei WOOFounding President

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Prof Chia-Wei Woo was the founding President, and now President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus,

of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He serves as President of Bai Xian Asia institute, Chief

Overseas Advisor of Hanlin Yuan Education Park, and Honorary Chairman of Pearl River University Consortium.

He acquired his Ph.D. degrees in Physics at Washington University, did postdoctoral study at the University

of California, San Diego, and then became Assistant Professor of Physics at Northwestern University (1968),

Associate Professor (1971), Professor (1973), and Chairman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy (1974).

In 1979, he returned to the University of California, San Diego as Provost of Revelle College. In 1983, at the age of

45, he became President of San Francisco State University, the first Chinese-American to head a major university

in the United States.

Prof Woo published 120 papers and books in various fields of physics, including quantum many-body theory,

statistical mechanics, liquid crystals, low temperature physics, and surface physics. He is also author of 4 books on

his experiences in learning, teaching, and university administration in the United States and Hong Kong.

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Prof Woo received many honors and awards for professional achievement and civic contribution, including the

Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship; Fellowships of the American Physical Society and the California Academy of

Sciences; Honorary Professorships at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Institute of Physics), Fudan University,

Shenzhen University, and Peking University; and Honorary Doctorates at a number of Chinese and American

universities.

He was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award by the United Nations Association, Golden Key and

“Chia-Wei Woo Day” by the City of San Francisco, CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British

Empire) by the United Kingdom, Gold Bauhinia Star of Hong Kong SAR, and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by

France.

Prof Woo was once President of the National Association of Chinese-Americans. He served or serves on a number

of government committees; governing/advisory boards of universities, educational foundations, and cultural organi-

zations in China, United States, and Asia-Pacific. He was a member of the Preparatory Committee for Hong Kong’s

return to China, a member of Hong Kong SAR’s Election Committee, and a member of the Chinese People’s Political

Consultative Conference.

Fujia YANGPresident

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Prof Fujia Yang is a professor of Physics at Fudan University and has been an academician of the Chinese Academy

of Science since 1991. He served as a special adviser to President of the University of Hong Kong from 1999 to 2006

and is currently a member of National Education Advisory Committee (2010-present), member of National Education

Test Steering Committee (2012-present), special research fellow at Advisory Office, State Council (2010-present)

and member of CPC Central Research Institute of Culture and History (2012-present). He is also President of The

University of Nottingham Ningbo China (2004-present), member of NTI’s Board of Directors (2002-present; NTI,

short for The Nuclear Threat Initiative, is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization cofounded and co-chaired by CNN

founder Ted Turner and US Senator Sam Nunn), international consultant of Raman University of Malaysia (2002-

present) and member of International Advisory Committee of The University of Texas at Dallas (2002-present).

Born in June 1936 in Shanghai, Prof Yang studied physics in Fudan University from 1954 to 1958 and furthered his

studies at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark as a visiting scholar. He has been a professor of physics

at Fudan since 1980 and once served as President of the university from February 1993 to January 1999. Besides,

Prof Yang served as Vice President of the Chinese Association of Science and Technology from 2001-2011, Director

of the Shanghai Institute of Nuclear Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences from 1987 to 2001, the founding

President of the Association of University Presidents of China from 1997 to 1999 and Chancellor of The University

of Nottingham from January 2001 to December 2012. He was selected as an academician of the Chinese Academy

of Science and Fellow of The Third World Academy of Sciences in 1991.

Prof Yang has made distinguished achievements in physics research and education. One of his major works –

Atomic and Nuclear Physics (380 thousand words, published in December 1993 by Fudan University Press) – won

the National Teaching Achievement Prize (the 2nd Prize) in 1997. Besides, the 3rd edition of the book (560 thousand

words, published in July 2000 by Higher Education Press) was included in the Textbook Series for 21st Century

and awarded the National Book Prize for Excellent Textbooks (the 2nd prize) in 2002. The 4th edition of the book

received Ministry of Education Excellent Higher Education Textbook Award in 2009. In 1996, Modern Atomic and

Nuclear Physics, which he co-authored with an outstanding American professor J. H. Hamilton, was published by

McGraw-Hill Companies.

Prof Yang has won a good number of honors. He was selected as Chinese National Outstanding Expert in Science &

Technology by the State Science and Technology Commission in 1984 and as a special member of Chinese Center

of Advanced Science & Technology (chaired by Prof Tsung Dao Lee) in 1988. He holds honorary degrees from Soka

University (1995), the State University of New York (1998), the University of Hong Kong (1999), the University of

Nottingham (1999), the University of Connecticut (2002), Macau University of Science and Technology (2010) and

Chinese University of Hong Kong (2013).

Kenneth YOUNGMaster of CW Chu College and Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Prof Kenneth Young obtained his B.S. (Physics, 1969) and Ph.D. (Physics & Mathematics, 1972) from Caltech, where

he was the first to hold the Richard P Feynman Fellowship. He worked as a postdoc at Princeton and in 1973 joined

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), where he is now Master of CW Chu College and professor of physics.

Prof Young’s research interest is in theoretical physics. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has

served as Secretary and Vice-President of Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS).

At CUHK, Prof Young has held positions as Department Chairman, Dean of Science, Dean of the Graduate School

and also Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Vice President, in which he led the major curriculum revamp leading up to the

change of the undergraduate degree from three years to four years in 2012. An important part of that curriculum

renewal involved an enhancement to general education, with a pair of required courses designed very much in the

liberal arts tradition. He has taught one of them, entitled “In Dialogue with Humanity”, for a number of years since.

Prof Young has served as a member of the Hong Kong University Grants Committee (UGC) and Chair of its

Research Grants Council (RGC); he currently serves on the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) of UGC. He chairs the

Curriculum Development Council in Hong Kong, with responsibility for K–12 curriculum in Hong Kong, and in that

capacity is also a member of the Education Commission. He is a member of the Shaw Prize Council and Vice-Chair

of its Board of Adjudicators.

20 21


Wei ZHAORector

University of Macau

An internationally renowned scholar, Prof Wei Zhao has been serving as the eighth Rector (i.e., President) of the

University of Macau since 2008. Before joining the University of Macau, Prof Zhao served as the Dean of the School

of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the US, Director for the Division of Computer and Network Systems

in the US National Science Foundation, and Senior Associate Vice President for Research at Texas A&M University.

Prof Zhao completed his undergraduate studies in physics at Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, China, in 1977, and

received his MSc and Ph.D. degrees in Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Massachusetts

at Amherst in 1983 and 1986, respectively. During his academic career, he has also served as a faculty member

at Shaanxi Normal University, Amherst College, the University of Adelaide, Texas A&M University, and Rensselaer

Polytechnic Institute.

An IEEE Fellow, Prof Zhao has made significant contributions in distributed computing, real-time systems, computer

networks, and cyberspace security. His research group has received numerous awards including the outstanding

paper award from the IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems, the best paper award

from the IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference, an award on technology transfer from the Defense

Advanced Research Program Agency, and the best paper award from the IEEE International Communication

Conference. In 2011, he was named by the Ministry of Science and Technology as the Chief Scientist of the national

973 Internet of Things Project.

Since Prof Zhao’s arrival in 2008, the University of Macau has made tremendous progress towards this goal. A brand

new campus with 60+ buildings and US$2 billion investment has been successfully built and is now fully operational.

An endowment foundation has acquired more than US$200 million in committed donations. The university has

developed and implemented a unique and innovative “4-in-1” pedagogical model, integrating disciplinary

education, general education, research & internship education, and community & peer education. Furthermore,

the University of Macau has become the first in Asia that fully adopts a residential college system and its research

outcome has increased more than 500%. The University of Macau is now recognized as being among the fastest

growing universities in the world.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements in science and higher education, he was awarded the Lifelong

Achievement Award by the Chinese Association of Science and Technology in 2005. In 2007, he was honored

with the Overseas Achievement Award by the Chinese Computer Federation. He has been conferred honorable

doctorates by twelve universities in the world and academician of the China Science Center of International

Eurasian Academy of Sciences (IEAS CHINA).

Author(s): Alan CHAN

Affiliation(s): Nanyang Technological University

Title: Arts and Humanities in a Global Technological University

Abstract:

In an increasingly complex and globalized world, universities are faced with numerous difficult challenges and

competing demands. While some universities must contend with dwindling resources, others seek to reposition

themselves to suit the needs of a globalized economy. The shifting boundaries of knowledge in a digital learning

and research environment further compel a reexamination of higher education in general and liberal arts education

in particular. In this context, I discuss the challenges and opportunities for the Arts and Humanities in a research-

intensive technological university with global aspirations.

ABSTRACTS

Author(s): Mau-Chung Frank CHANG

Affiliation(s): National Chiao Tung University

Title: Rejuvenate Liberal Arts Education with the Learning of Tools

Abstract:

In my inaugural address to NCTU Faculty and Staff during the past August, I shared my vision to build a

highly competitive modern research university by using a three-letter word “ACT”, where A stands for Active

Education & Placement, C stands for Cross-disciplinary Research and T stands for Trustees for Institution

and Endowment.

Over the years of teaching at UCLA, I was quite alert of the profound influence of education upon students who

came from various parts of the globe. Students from East Asia tend to be gentler and more polite but more

passive and reserved, typically less passionate in uncovering the truth, and less confident and aspirational in

pursuing high-risk research projects. Such passive behaviors and/or characters to a vast extent are rooted in their

inactive learning experiences through grade school and undergraduate education. Consequently, they often lack of

the spirits of “Can do” and “Can think Out-of-the-Box”, which in many ways will seriously constrain their capabilities

and effectiveness while entering future global competitions.

The Liberal Arts education means literally “For those who can learn Arts (or Methodologies, i.e. Chinese 藝) to

unveil the truth in order to gain one’s liberty”. In modern times, such classical training can be further rejuvenated

by using advanced modern “tools” to forge students’ thinking and judgment to be more active, critical, analytical,

creative, systematic and responsive. Such tools (including High-Level Computing Languages like JAVA, 3D-Graphic

CAD, MATLAB, Quantitative/Statistical Data Analysis, Logic, Presentation, Game Theory, Aesthetics …) can also

prepare and enable students at unprecedented levels for their continuous and effective Life-Time Learning.

It is indeed wisely stated by the 20th century great educator Professor Ernest Moore “Education is Learning to

Use the Tools which The Race Has Found Indispensable”.

22 23


Author(s): Stephen Shang-Tseh CHOU

Affiliation(s): Nanyang Technological University

Title: Liberal Arts Education vs. the Virtual Public Sphere in the Information Age

Abstract:

Liberal arts education since ancient Greece has been built around two ideals. While the “oratorical” tradition

pursued a broad range of knowledge within an effective framework, the “philosophical” tradition valued such

intellectual abilities as critical thinking, innovation, and problem-solving. In line with the efforts to rebuild democracy

in the mid-twentieth century, the purpose of liberal arts education has also shifted from “education for the free men”

towards “learning to be free.” The ability of the educated to conduct informed and rational debates in the public

sphere, free from ignorance, prejudice, and authority, is accordingly considered crucial to the success of democracy.

This talk ponders why the information age, a seemingly friendly environment to the development of knowledge and

intellect, may render us unfree. My study calls attention to an overlooked dimension of the “Virtual Public Sphere”

(VPS) constituted by the digital media and the internet: the dramatic changes in the VPS’s size and operative

structure when a social conflict is elevated to a crisis. Viewing as a “social drama” the recent street demonstrations

in Taiwan and Hong Kong that invoked nation-wide debates, I will examine phenomena in the VPS such as the

information explosion, unstructured mass mobilization, fragmentation of discussion, enthusiasm for the spectacles,

and the permeation of irrational sentiments, all complicated by the new technologies and the theatrical nature of

these movements. We need to contemplate: will the VPS’s anti-intellectual inclination prevail over knowledge and

intellect and make future socio-political crises increasingly difficult to resolve?

Author(s): Da Hsuan FENG

Affiliation(s): University of Macau

Title: “Mindset of the Soul”: The Aim of “Liberal Arts Education”

Abstract:

Liberal Arts education is not merely action and not merely a learning process. The most important aspect should

be the mindset of the soul. Such a mindset should life-long accompany anyone who had such an education. This

talk will elucidate this aspect of liberal arts education!

Author(s): Peihua GU

Affiliation(s): Shantou University

Title: STU-Advanced Undergraduate Education for Individualized Learning

Abstract:

Liberal Arts Education (LAE) has been long recognized as a successful model of undergraduate education for

transforming high school graduates to mature and responsible citizens. As the societies and the world have been

undergoing significant changes in last few decades, mainly due to the rapid technological advancement, increasing

cost of higher education and globalization, the traditional model of LAE has also been going through some changes.

Although debates on advantages and disadvantages of these changes are still on-going, some universities in

Asia especially in China have been examining LAE and to adopt some of the essential elements of this model in

undergraduate studies.

In China, most of the universities are public institutions. In the last decade, the governments call for all universities

to improve quality of education, cultivation of innovative talents and enhance students’ entrepreneurship. In this

context, Shantou University initiated Advanced Undergraduate Education in 2008, after 7 years’ successful

comprehensive education reform of internalization of internationalization, to develop a new model of undergraduate

education. This model consists of the following components: providing all students with essential learning

elements of LAE through university-wide common core courses and electives, achieving the goals and objectives

of individual programs through outcome-based curriculum redesign and individualized learning experiences

through adaptable programming for facilitating double-degree and major-minor and multi-disciplinary courses, as

well as well-coordinated and execution of extra-curricular activities.

The outcome of the education reform has been encouraging through third party agency surveys of graduate

satisfaction, alumni career advancement, employment rate and level of starting salaries, as well as 100% first choice

of student enrollment, national and international competitions, popularities of student volunteer work and so on.

Issues and challenges in the above education reform as well as the future initiatives will also be discussed.

Author(s): Xiaofeng JIN

Affiliation(s): Fudan University

Title: Science with Humanity Flavor: Liberal Arts Education Transformation in the 21st Century

Abstract:

In this talk, I will first outline the challenges we are facing today for the science education. Then I will provide

my “pedagogic creed”, trying to argue that the peculiar fundamental features of the present day scientific world

picture are historically produced as against logically necessitated, therefore by definition is part of humanities –

the sifting of human creations. Finally, I will elaborate my argument with some specific examples to illustrate what

I mean “physics with humanity”.

24 25


Author(s): Steve Sung-Mo KANG

Affiliation(s): Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Title: Promoting Cultural Diversity, Integrity and Global Leadership in KAIST Education

Abstract:

Korea emerged as an economic powerhouse in the 20th century, achieving phenomenal growth despite the lack of

natural resources and the devastation caused by the war on its social infrastructure. Earning the fame “the Miracle

on the Han River”, Korea saw the rapid economic growth over a half century achieved by the workforce produced

through a well-established higher education system with a strong nationwide support, the driving force behind

social developments. In the 21st century, Korea is embracing new opportunities presented by creative economy to

generate further growth. The key to successful creative economy lies in fostering creative and bold talents through

innovative higher education.

While Korea’s economic development was made possible by the aforementioned education system, the unhealthy

obsession over college entrance examinations has compelled students to fiercely compete for gaining admission

into top-tier schools. This skewed emphasis in education hinders nurturing of creative individuals who are expected

to play an active role in offering innovative solutions to national and global issues. Higher education must not

revolve around a social hierarchy or simply provide training for students to secure jobs. Universities should promote

higher learning through which students foster critical thinking, gain knowledge, plan their future, and get exposed

to various ways of giving back to society.

Reassessment of the role of higher education is necessary, especially in the age of creative economy. Going beyond

imparting knowledge and skills, universities must provide students with opportunities to maximize their creative

capacities, and aim to nurture creative graduates who are capable of effective communication and cooperation

along with social responsibilities as global citizens.

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was founded in 1971. The ultimate goal of KAIST is

to educate future leaders and to create knowledge and technologies for the betterment of humanity. To achieve this

goal, KAIST has implemented many initiatives to reach the highest global levels for many aspects of its operations.

In particular, KAIST has focused on strengthening students global leadership, diversity and integrity through various

collaborative research and classroom activities to bring out synergistic contributions from all constituents in order

to achieve excellence under all circumstances.

This talk will highlight the importance of ‘Promoting Cultural Diversity, Integrity and Global Leadership’ using

illustrative examples at KAIST, in particular in developing the innovative systems of education and research.

Author(s): Pericles LEWIS

Affiliation(s): Yale-NUS College

Title: Innovation in Liberal Education

Abstract:

Liberal education is at once one of the most honored and contested creations of the American university system, a

mode of learning broadly and deeply which has inspired new programs and schools throughout Asia and beyond,

even as it has become a site of debate at home. Through innovations in a common curriculum that encompasses

both Asian and Western influences in humanistic, social, and scientific studies, Yale-NUS College makes use of

the enduring successes of liberal education to furnish a context for broad yet in-depth inquiry and a concerted

fusion of life and research. Under the aegis of the school motto – “in Asia, for the world” – students participate in

on-campus communities of learning while expanding the scope of their inquiry outward through research trips and

internships. In drawing together a highly international group of students and challenging them to create connections

across borders and cultures, this form of liberal education teaches students to take risks and experiment, to stretch

beyond their comfort areas in a non-native, cross-cultural context. In doing so, it invests students with an innovative

education so that they, in turn, might become innovators in the university and the world.

Author(s): Ka Ho MOK

Affiliation(s): Lingnan University

Title: The Quest for Regional Education Hub Status: Challenges and Prospects for Liberal Arts

Education in Asia

Abstract:

Growing global interdependence has been recognized within higher education for decades, usually seen as

‘international education’ and having its primary manifestations in student and faculty exchanges between countries.

Over the last decade, especially after reaching the GATS agreement, higher education has been refined in part as

a tradable commodity, and the amount of ‘globalized education’ taking place is on the increase. With the strong

intention to enhance the global competitiveness of their higher education systems, governments across different

parts of the world, especially those in Asia, have engaged in the quest for different forms of hub status such as

education hub, student hub, talent hub and knowledge / information hub. It is against such a context that

transnational higher education has become increasingly popular in Asian societies.

To attract more overseas students to study in their countries (or create more educational opportunities for their

citizens), some Asian governments have invited foreign universities to set up their campuses to provide transnational

education programs, while others have engaged in the quest for regional education hub status. The quest for

regional hub of education inevitably leads to new terrain of governance, complex and sometimes convoluted, which

involves problems of coordination (and accountability and transparency), especially when dealing with multi-

national businesses, but which can bring to the state benefits in terms of flexibilities, and forms of flexibilisation and

substitution which are not normally possible in administrative systems. This talk sets out against this wider policy

context to critically examine how Hong Kong stands in the journey of making the city-state a regional education

hub, with particular reference to examine the major challenges and possibilities, as well as the implications for liberal

arts education with the growing popularity for university ranking and global university leagues which might weight

heavily on research than teaching and learning in contemporary universities.

26 27


Author(s): Anita PATANKAR

Affiliation(s): Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts

Title: Looking Towards New Models of Liberal Arts Education for National Development

Abstract:

It would not be fantastic to claim that recent worldwide forces – globalization and information technology revolution,

in particular – have altered the very make-up of our lives; and higher education is not an exception to this certainty.

Globalization and the rapid pace of change in every aspect of our lives have led us to question the very fabric of

our higher educational system. The emergence of popular for-profit, degree-granting higher education options in

countries like India is changing the situation further. Most of these options focus almost singularly on their promise

to deliver ‘jobs/placement’ as a natural outcome of the educational program. This talk investigates the need for

Indian (and Asian) undergraduate colleges to explore the concept of the liberal arts philosophy as part of their

process to learn to cope and adapt to these changes. The talk delves into the concept of liberal arts education, on

the experiences of Symbiosis International University, and finally on how India/Asia can learn valuable lessons from

the world in this respect; on how they can face challenges in regional development, and yet offer ‘value for money’

to students and their parents.

Author(s): Joseph SUNG

Affiliation(s): The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Title: Should we Vocationalize Higher Education?

Abstract:

Few will argue against the statement that education is the basic right of mankind. The UN International convener on

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 declares, in article 13, that “higher education shall be made equally

accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduc-

tion of free education”.

In many developed countries, a high proportion of the population now enters higher education at some time in their

lives. Higher education is gaining weight in national economics, both as a significant industry in its own right and as

a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.

But provision of higher-education is not without a problem. Globally, many young graduates fail to gain

employment. This could be due to many reasons: shrinking economy in some countries, degree holders have

higher expectations for jobs and future career, industry turning towards high-tech, specialized skills, just to name

a few. We also hear quite often complaints from society that there is mismatch between employers’ requirement

and the skill sets training in colleges.

Should higher education be vocationalized? There are more and more universities launching their coop programs,

internship and mentorship programs, and entrepreneurial training. All of these programs aim to train university

students to become more adapted to the working environment in the real world. The question is, are these

programs actually helping our graduates to become a good work? The arguments are strong on both sides

Author(s): Corazon T. TORALBA

Affiliation(s): University of Asia and the Pacific

Title: Liberal Education: Education for Love, Life and Freedom?

Abstract:

Literature on liberal education debates on its definition, content, aims and methods. Some argue that since its aim

is education of the freemen and not of slaves, it is contra posed to the professional education. Others emphasize

the intellectual skills to support the first claim that the goal of most educational institutions championing liberal

education is to make graduates ready for anything that the work place may demand anytime anywhere. A good

number underscores the political aim; hence the education in citizenship. In the University of Asia and the Pacific,

all these ideas are integrated in the liberal education administered by the College of Arts and Sciences which

Statement of Principles explicitly declares that in the liberal education it pursues wisdom, solidarity and professional

competence. This talk will discuss that such aims are the businesses of the university: educate students in love, life

and freedom.

Yes

1. The world’s economy is turning into a knowledge-based economy. Only high-technology, highly-skilled

industries can push the economy forward.

2. The tax-payers’ money should be made accountable. Therefore, university graduates, especially those from

publically-funded university, should contribute to the national economy.

3. Unemployed university graduate can be a threat to social instability. The grievances and even anger from the

educated but unemployed young people is a threat to the society.

No

1. Finding a job, or building a strong economy, is not the aim of higher education. Instead, training the critical

mind, developing an all-round person with generic skills is more important.

2. If higher education is to serve the economy, it will lean towards certain disciplines e.g. medicine, law, engineering,

education etc. Humanities and social sciences will be ignored.

3. Vocational training can be, and should be, done by vocational training schools. In fact, there are good models

and successful examples in some countries where university graduates constitute <50%, but vocational schools

are run very successfully.

28 29


Author(s): Chia-Wei WOO

Affiliation(s): Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Title: A Unique Liberal Arts Education for Undergraduates

Abstract:

Practically all American universities claim to offer a liberal arts undergraduate education. And in recent years quite

a few Chinese universities have established “liberal arts colleges”. Typically, “liberal arts education” means that, in

addition to a major, every student must take general education courses to satisfy a set of distribution requirements,

some of which contain a so-called “core curriculum”.

At the University of California, San Diego, liberal arts education is offered in a unique way. The founders realized

that students have different aspirations, personalities, capabilities, interests, and study habits, and professors have

different views towards what an ideal undergraduate education should be like. So a series of liberal arts colleges

were established, each with a different educational philosophy and its own residential campus. The concept has

survived and performed well, even though somewhat diluted over the years.

This unique and totally rational concept is adopted in the planning of a new private university in China. Eight small

liberal arts colleges will be established. While sharing the same academic schools and departments, each college

will adhere to a different educational philosophy, focus on a different general education theme, and have its own

residential campus.

Author(s): Fujia YANG

Affiliation(s): The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Title: Copenhagen Spirit and Liberal Arts Education

Abstract:

In this talk, the five essential points of Liberal Arts Education will be mentioned. However, the one of the five will be

emphasized and be discussed in relation with Copenhagen Spirit which the speaker has learned during his many

visits to Denmark, including the recent one.

Author(s): Wei ZHAO

Affiliation(s): University of Macau

Title: UMacau: A New Campus for a New Education Model

Abstract:

The University of Macau has moved into a new home, a brand-new campus with a cluster of 60+ breathtaking

buildings, and a price tag of US$2 billion. But what is remarkable about it is neither the number of buildings nor

the cost, but the design features of the architecture that reconciles the hardware and the software. Behind the

facades is an educational ideal and vision worthy of the 21st century.

At the heart of this vision is respect for the individual. If the 21st century is anything, it is about innovation. An

institution of higher education that does not celebrate the individual is handicapped in nurturing innovation, the new

global currency. Here, we give students the freedom to find their individual, social and global bearings. Within the

confines of this vision, students are “free agents” in their personal quest.

This is not a new school of thought. It goes back to the roots of Chinese civilization itself. More than 2500

years ago, Lao Tzu, one of China’s greatest sages, declared that “knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is

enlightenment.” We see our duty as facilitating students’ search of their true destiny which is inseparable from a

sense of social responsibility. It is their passport to personal fulfillment and global citizenship.

The old educational model for university education is essentially disciplinary education. But in this day and age,

specialization in a single field of study is no longer sufficient. The University of Macau has therefore launched

its new “four-in-one” model to cover different facets of personal development through general education, research-

internship, communal experience and peer learning.

In general education, students learn horizontally to broaden their horizons; in their disciplinary specialization, they

learn vertically in pursuit of excellence. We believe that an all-rounded education encompasses both, with the

former fertilizing the latter.

In research-internship, students experience the excitement of creating new knowledge. They taste the power of

knowledge in whose discovery they are active participants.

Author(s): Kenneth YOUNG

Affiliation(s): The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Title: Liberal Education and General Education: Differences, Challenges and Models for Asia

Abstract:

The conceptual and organizational differences between liberal education and general education are highlighted,

and their respective strengths and limitations are examined, with special reference to Asian universities in the 21st

century. A possible way to navigate the web of challenges is outlined, and some recent experience is sketched.

30

2nd Pan Asia Liberal Arts Education Conference

The final element in our new model is integrated into our architectural designs. Housed in residential colleges, our

students from different disciplines, levels and cultural backgrounds share a communal life. No longer trapped in their

own small circles, students learn to reach out even as they reach deep into themselves.

Embedded in this new model of education are the following features of implementation:

1. Faculty engagement. On top of their normal teaching and research roles, faculty members are required

to contribute a minimum of one hour per week towards students’ extracurricular education. It can take the form of

building a research lab or leading a soccer team. Over a three-year period, subject to periodic evaluation, teachers

will devote 150 hours towards such non-traditional education. Multiply this by our 600-strong faculty members and

the trickle of individual efforts becomes a mighty stream of collective endeavors.

2. Degree requirement. Like many universities, UMacau runs on the academic credit system. But the credit

requirements apply only to students’ disciplinary education and general education. While research-internship and

community-peer education carry no specific credit requirements, they are degree-awarding benchmarks, as both

are subject to assessment. Failure to meet the standards in either means that a Bachelor’s Degree will not be

awarded.

3. Collegiate Learning Day. In order to facilitate non-classroom learning activities, Wednesday afternoons are

set aside for this purpose. In a bold new move, classroom education is suspended across the campus.

Finally, the campus architecture reflects our educational philosophy. Incorporating Southern European and

Southern Chinese architectural styles, it conveys a warm and welcoming feel and flow that evoke pride in the

students without overwhelming them with its authoritative undertones. It is an environment conducive to the

incubation of individuality and innovation.

Institute of Advanced StudiesNanyang Executive CentreNanyang Technological University60 Nanyang View #02-18 Singapore 639673Tel: (65) 6790 6491, 6592 1880 Fax: (65) 6794 4941Website: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/ias

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