Prof. Tam Sheung-wai, President Emeritus of The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), passed away peacefully on 1 January this year at the age of 86. OUHK is deeply saddened for the news and offers its sincere condolences to Prof. Tam’s family.

Prof. Tam took up the headship at the then Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong (predecessor of the OUHK) in 1995. During Prof. Tam’s eight years of service, he had successfully led the Institute to grow and develop rapidly and significantly, including gaining its self-accrediting status in 1996 and subsequently attaining its university title in 1997. Under his able leadership, he had enhanced the quality and status of the University’s curriculum and made its distance learning programmes available in various provinces in Mainland China, helping countless learners realize their dream for education. He later led the University to further expand its high quality education for aspiring learners to cover full-time programmes in 2001.

In recognition of his remarkable contributions to higher education, Prof. Tam had been presented with many awards and honours from different educational institutions around the world, including the Prize of Excellence for individuals from the International Council for Open and Distance Education in 2001 and the honorary degree of Doctor from the UK Open University in 2002. Prof. Tam retired from his presidency at the OUHK in November 2003 and was conferred Doctor of Science honoris causa by the University in 2006.

Prof. Yuk-Shan Wong, President of the OUHK, said, “Prof. Tam had dedicated his boundless wisdom and tremendous efforts toward leading the OUHK to develop from a distance learning institution to become a university and excel as a provider of quality higher education. His invaluable contributions toward our University will always be remembered and respected by everyone at the University.”

  In memory of President Emeritus Prof. Tam Sheung-wai

About the OUHK:
Established by the Government in 1989, The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) has developed into a full-fledged university providing high quality and flexible university education at various levels to secondary school graduates and working adults. As a dynamic and innovative university, the OUHK currently offers programmes of different academic levels to about 10,000 full-time students and 9,000 part-time students. Our mission is to advance learning, knowledge and research that meet students’ learning aspirations and society's talent needs, focusing on practical and professional programmes.

OUHK comprises six Schools, i.e. School of Arts and Social Sciences, Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, School of Education and Languages, School of Nursing and Health Studies, School of Science and Technology, and Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education (LiPACE). LiPACE provides lifelong learning opportunities by offering full-time sub-degree programmes, community learning and professional programmes.

The Council of the OUHK has earlier approved the new title 'Hong Kong Metropolitan University' for the University. The process of amending the ordinance governing the University has been started and formal approval from the Legislative Council will be sought. The new title shows the unique position of the University in metropolitan Hong Kong. It also signifies the University’s path of transformation from a modest distance education institution to a full-fledged university and reflects its unique characteristics and strategic focuses.

OUHK website: www.hkmu.edu.hk.
University Retitling website: https://retitling.hkmu.edu.hk