HKUST Business Review

9 HKUST Business Review Cover A powerful sense of unity among the entire community has made it all happen. As HKUST celebrates its 35th anniversary, students, alumni, and partners around the world can look back with pride on a journey that has turned a fledgling institution into a center of academic excellence, innovative research, and entrepreneurial drive. Going from one academic building and a few student hostels in 1991 to ranking among the world’s top 50 universities, HKUST’s story is one of belief, persistence, and community spirit. Over 100,000 graduates have now embarked on the next chapter of their lives, each taking with them the University’s enduring “can-do” spirit and will to succeed. A major player in this remarkable rise is Professor Nancy Ip, President of HKUST and Morningside Professor of Life Science. A world-renowned neuroscientist and the University’s first female president, Professor Ip’s personal journey has been closely intertwined with HKUST’s own evolution. “It was a very compact sort of environment in the early days,” she recalls. “In Hong Kong it was barely known, and outside Hong Kong it was virtually unknown. When I gave talks at international conferences, people thought I was from Hong Kong U.” Building from a Vision Those modest beginnings, though, were fertile ground for big ideas. “Our founding president had the vision to establish HKUST as the first research- intensive university in Hong Kong,” she says. “Joining a new institution gave me opportunities to grow with it and take part in many exciting developments.” Three decades on, the original vision has been more than realized. The University has come a long way and the long list of achievements is a great source of pride to all who have contributed. “It has been a collective effort of not just the faculty members, but also students, staff, alumni, and our supporters, partners, and donors,” Professor Ip says. “A powerful sense of unity among the entire community has made it all happen.” People at the Core Through the years, success has always been about people — and that remains the case today. The aim at the outset was to recruit top academics and administrators in the belief that first-class individuals would attract others of similar caliber. This strategy allowed HKUST to establish strong programs and an international reputation in a relatively short period of time. The same people-centered philosophy continues to guide the current leadership team, along with the importance of listening to the views of the on- campus community and external parties when key decisions are up for discussion. “When I took on this role in 2022, I told myself that all of us have a big responsibility,” says Professor Ip, who viewed her appointment as an honor and a challenge. “The main task was to see how we could work together to elevate the University to new heights and achieve even greater success.”