45th Congregation of Lingnan University
At the 45th Congregation of Lingnan University today, Chairman of the Council, The Hon Bernard Charnwut Chan, GBS, JP, conferred honorary doctoral degrees upon three distinguished individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to education and society. They are:
- Dr Philip Chen Nan-lok, GBS, JP, Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa
- Prof Liu Yi-chang, BBS, MH, Doctor of Literature, honoris causa
- Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang, GBS, JP, Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa
Prof Ma expressed gratitude to Lingnan University on behalf of all honorary graduates. He mentioned some personal views during his address, citing Lingnan’s educational premises of liberal arts education to call for respect of diversity and differences. “Respect is the cornerstone of all social systems. When social decorum collapses, law and order cannot be maintained, and social systems will fail to operate effectively,” he said. “Only when we respect others can we win others’ respect. Loss of mutual respect also means loss of mutual trust, and society will then be torn asunder by irrational confrontations, while basic human dignity will be senselessly trampled on…..Only when we have mutual respect and seek common ground while preserving differences can we establish mutual trust and facilitate communication. And only when we communicate can we reach consensus, and give Hong Kong a promising tomorrow.”
Citing Prof William Cronon’s article in The American Scholar, President Leonard K Cheng called upon graduates and students to practise mutual respect and humility, and go beyond interests dictated by proximity. “The university is a place of special privilege and purpose. With this privilege comes the moral duty to uphold and respect the diversity of views that flourish within the university community. This means that while we express our views with passion and conviction, we should always respect the right of others to hold views different from our own,” he said. “Hong Kong’s present predicament may be partly attributable to an inability or unwillingness to listen on both sides of the political divide…..I would therefore like to appeal to our students and graduates, whatever your social or political persuasions, to embrace humility throughout your life. These days, too many people are too quick to criticise others without first knowing the basic facts, reasoning through their assumptions and carefully examining the evidence.”
A total of 986 students were awarded bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate diplomas, master’s degrees and doctoral degrees at the 45th Congregation.
Attachments:
- Citation of Dr Philip Chen Nan-lok, Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa (English original)
- Citation of Prof Liu Yi-chang, Doctor of Literature, honoris causa (English translation)
- Citation of Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang, Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa (English original)
- Address by Prof Frederick Ma Si-hang
- Address by President Leonard K Cheng