Campus Digest

HKBU will present second Distinguished Alumni Award to Chiu Chun-bong, Justin Chiu, Matthew Lui and Mark Kai-keung

03 Mar 2015

HKBU presents Distinguished Alumni Award to (clockwise from left top): Dr Chiu Chun-bong, Dr Justin Chiu, Dr Matthew Lui and Professor Mark Kai-keung HKBU presents Distinguished Alumni Award to (clockwise from left top): Dr Chiu Chun-bong, Dr Justin Chiu, Dr Matthew Lui and Professor Mark Kai-keung
HKBU presents Distinguished Alumni Award to (clockwise from left top): Dr Chiu Chun-bong, Dr Justin Chiu, Dr Matthew Lui and Professor Mark Kai-keung

 

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) announced the awardees of its Second Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of the outstanding professional or scholastic achievements of HKBU alumni, and their services and contributions to the University and society. HKBU presents the Award in the hope of motivating students to learn from the experience and success of the awardees.

The second HKBU Distinguished Alumni Award will be presented to Dr Chiu Chun-bong (Business Management), Dr Justin Chiu Kwok-hung (Sociology), Dr Matthew Lui Yue-chun (Religion and Philosophy) and Professor Mark Kai-keung (Mathematics and Science). An award presentation ceremony will be held at the HKBU Founders’ Day Reception on 27 March.

This year, the Selection Committee for the award was chaired by Mr Cheng Yan-kee, Chairman of the Council and the Court of HKBU, and members included Professor Albert Chan, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Dr Cecil Chan, President of Cecil Chan & Associates, Ms Kuby Chan, Principal of Munsang College, and Mrs Christine Ip, Chief Executive Officer of United Overseas Bank (HK).

The nominees for the Award must be alumni of HKBU (or its forerunner Hong Kong Baptist College). Each nominee must be proposed by a nominator and seconded by two supporters who are either alumni or current staff members of HKBU. The Selection Committee will consider the suitability of each nomination based on a set of criteria including the nominee’s professional or scholastic achievements, service and contributions to HKBU, and community service and contributions to society.

Brief introduction of Distinguished Alumni Award recipients

Dr Chiu Chun-bong

Dr Chiu Chun-bong is Managing Director of The Chius Manufacturing Co Ltd, Billabong Enterprises Co Ltd and Maoming Hon Kiu Safety Product Co Ltd. He graduated from the Department of Business Management of the then Hong Kong Baptist College in 1963. He was conferred a degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa, by HKBU in 1997.

A successful entrepreneur, Dr Chiu is a current member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Chinese Importers’ & Exporters’ Association and Permanent Honorary Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. He strongly supports the development of HKBU. With his outstanding leadership and network, he planned and organised alumni activities, such as annual fundraising dinners and the setting up of scholarships, when he was Board Member of Governors of his alma mater and President of the Alumni Association. He was instrumental in building connections and loyalty between his fellows and the University. Over the years, he has donated more than HK$3.6 million to HKBU. His generous donations enabled the establishment of the Distinguished Lecture Series, through which Nobel Laureates and world-renowned scholars share their insights at HKBU.

In addition, Dr Chiu has made significant contributions to the development of education and community welfare in Hong Kong. He was director, then vice-chairman and chairman of Po Leung Kuk and has been a member of its advisory board since 1990. He is currently an honorary advisor of Pok Oi Hospital. He also served as council member of The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) and donated generously towards the establishment of bursary and scholarship funds, its campus extension project and international conferences. In 2006, he was conferred an Honorary University Fellowship by OUHK.

Dr Chiu was appointed Justice of the Peace (JP) in 1982 and honoured with the title of Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1997.

Dr Justin Chiu Kwok-hung

Dr Justin Chiu is Member of Executive Committee and Executive Director of Cheung Kong Hutchison (Holdings) Limited and Chairman and Non-executive Director of ARA Asset Management Limited. He studied Sociology at the then Hong Kong Baptist College from 1971 to 1973 and attained a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Economics from Trent University in Canada in 1978. He has more than 30 years of experience in real estate in Hong Kong and various countries and is one of the most respected professionals in the property industry in Asia. He is renowned for his business acumen and outstanding leadership. He was named Distinguished Alumni by Trent University in 2009 and was awarded the title of Director of the Year by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors in 2010.

Dr Chiu is closely affiliated with HKBU and has made contributions to the University through various channels including sharing his experience and wisdom with the HKBU community at Alumni Sharing Forums and public lectures. He has been a member of the Board of Governors of the HKBU Foundation since 2009, and is currently an advisor for the HKBU’s 60th Anniversary Celebrations and a member of its Organising Committee on Special Events. Over the years, he has personally donated more than HK$1.5 million in support of the University’s institutional advancement and campus development. In 2011, he made a generous donation of HK$30 million in the name of Pecan Foundation Limited in support of a research project entitled “Strategic Plan for Intellectual Asset Protection of Traditional Chinese Medicine”. In 2012, HKBU conferred upon him a degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa, in recognition of his contributions to his alma mater and society advancement. He received a degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, from Trent University in 2013.

Dr Chiu is a passionate advocate for community development, education and environmental protection. He served as a member of the Government’s Advisory Committee on Multi-Storey Building Management and as a convenor of the Working Group on Unfair Provisions in the Deed of Mutual Covenant. Currently, he is a member of the Standing Committee of the 12th Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of the People’s Republic of China. With the conviction that education is crucial to a country’s development, Dr Chiu has donated generously to charity and education institutions worldwide through the Pecan Foundation, a family charitable foundation.

Dr Matthew Lui Yue-chun

Dr Matthew Lui is Youth Pastor and Director of Education of Grace Christian Chapel in Canada, and Director of Footprint Evangelism. In 1999, he graduated from the Department of Religion and Philosophy at HKBU with first-class honours. In 2006, he received the Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons award.

Dr Lui’s extraordinary life story has inspired many people. He grew up in a single-parent family and was raised by his grandmother on social welfare assistance. Dr Lui lacked the care that a child should receive and went down the wrong path at a young age. He scored poorly in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, however, his results improved significantly on his second attempt owing to his hard work along with the care and guidance from his church fellows. He then decided to study Religion and Philosophy at HKBU, which he describes as a life-changing experience.

Dr Lui became a teacher of General Studies after graduation. He continued to pursue his studies and obtained a Master’s degree in Divinity, a Master’s degree in Business Administration, and a Doctoral degree in Philosophy. He was a member of the Commission on Youth and has done a lot of voluntary work which included sharing at prisons, hospitals and churches as well as organising seminars and workshops for youths and parents. In recent years, Dr Lui has been a columnist for several newspapers, a radio presenter and TV host. A prolific writer, he has written more than 10 books. His first book, HKCEE Failure becomes the Mystical Kid, was one of the award winners at The 18th Annual Good Books Billboard of Secondary Schools, and was named The Year’s Favorite Character/Biography by Hong Kong Education City in 2005. He has been invited to share his remarkable story and his message of perseverance at schools, churches, and even enterprises. So far, he has delivered over 3,000 speeches around the world.

Deeply connected with his alma mater, he once served as President of the Religion and Philosophy Society and Evangelistic Officer of Christian Student Union. After graduation, he was frequently seen on HKBU campus sharing with students and helping to promote the Department. He is currently an Honorary Member of the Court of HKBU.

Professor Mark Kai-keung

Professor Mark Kai-keung, Retired Professor of the Department of Biology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), showed great dedication to teaching and research during his 40 years as an academic scholar. An inspiring teacher, he played a significant role in the success of his students.

Professor Mark studied Mathematics and Science at the then Hong Kong Baptist College in 1956. Inspired by Professor Yen Kuo-yung, an expert in Life Sciences, Professor Mark was determined to become a scientist and took up the taxonomic and ecological study of Hong Kong orchids and fern species. He was awarded three scholarships for his excellent academic results during his studies at the College.

Professor Mark then continued his studies in the US and obtained a Master’s degree and a Doctoral degree in University of California, Berkeley and University of Oregon respectively. In 1965, he returned to Hong Kong and started his teaching career. He has taught and guided over 150 PhD graduates, among them included Professor Tsui Lap-chee, former president and vice-chancellor of The University of Hong Kong. Professor Mark is reputed for his ability in identifying talents of students.

Professor Mark has made remarkable achievements in academic research. He published articles on lysozyme in the 1970s and obtained the first three US patents for CUHK. Apart from teaching and research, he is a seasoned collector of Chinese antiques and art pieces. His precious exhibits, including jade pieces, bronze mirrors and inkstones, were once showcased at CUHK. He is a forerunner in the collection of Chinese antiques and has made notable contributions in promoting the history and heritage of China.