University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) () is a public research university in Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese by the London Missionary Society and formally established as the University of Hong Kong in 1911. It is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong.

The university was established and proposed by Governor Sir Frederick Lugard in an effort to compete with the other Great Powers opening universities in China. The university was originally established as an emulation of the University of Manchester, which emphasised sciences over humanities.

The university's governance consists of three bodies: the Court, the Council and the Senate. These three bodies all have their own separate roles. The Court acts as the overseeing and legislative body of the university, the Council acts as governing body of the University, and the Senate as the principal academic authority of the university.

The principal academic and administrative officer of the university is the vice-chancellor, who simutaneously chairs the Senate and sits on all committees of the Council and Senate. The current office holder is Xiang Zhang. The chancellor, despite officially being the chief officer of the university holds a ceremonial role instead. The chancellor is assumed by the chief executive, formerly the governor prior to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. The power and role of the chancellor is exercised by the pro-chancellor.

The university currently has ten academic faculties and 20 residential halls and colleges for its students, with English being its main medium of instruction and assessment.

The university has educated many notable alumni in many fields. Among them is Dr Sun Yat-sen, the founder of the Republic of China, a graduate of the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, the predecessor of HKU. Notable alumnis in the field of politics include Anson Chan, Carrie Lam, Jasper Tsang and Regina Ip.

The University of Hong Kong was the first team in the world to successfully isolate the coronavirus SARS-CoV, the causative agent of SARS in 2003. Provided by Wikipedia