Dear Friends of OUHK,

The Open University of Hong Kong has been changing the lives of over 90,000 people since its establishment in 1989. Today, I would like to tell you the story of two of our alumni. They are:

Mr Leung Kee Cheong, who obtained his first degree from The Open University of Hong Kong in 1998. He has then become the Principal of the Fresh Fish Traders’ School. He is well known for his uncompromising efforts to make a positive difference to his students’ life. He saved the school from being closed down and established the Principal’s Foundation to help the needy students. He single-handedly raised HK$23 million for the school, which was then used as exemption for those who cannot afford to pay class, textbook and uniform fees.

Mr Darren Zheng is a graduate of the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration in 2006. 9 years after graduation, with hard work and perseverance, he became the Executive Director of a listed company in Hong Kong. Up till now, he could hardly forget how the teachers at OUHK had changed his life. Last year he even established the Dr. T. Y. Cheng Memorial Scholarship to commemorate his late teacher who had changed his whole approach to life.

The above two alumni are just among some of the numerous examples of how education and the OUHK experience could significantly change someone’s life.

The OUHK has been committed to promoting higher education and continuing education, realizing numerous study dreams by upholding its mission of “Education for All”. To date, the University has nurtured more than 90,000 graduates. They were able to utilize their knowledge and experiences gained at the University, develop their full potential in their career, and contribute to our society while changing the future.

I have worked in various other local universities and have known many different students with varied background, but since I took up presidency at OUHK last year, I was deeply moved by the dedication and committed learning attitude of OUHK students, who treasure from heart this valuable opportunity they had. Many graduates, in their own ways, give back to society and bring about beautiful changes to others. They have magnified the spirit of OUHK, and have made our work even more meaningful. To ensure that this spirit will continue, the University tireless seek to better the learning environment and teaching quality to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students, so that we can present more worthy and quality graduates to our society.

Nonetheless, as a self-financed institution, we are faced with great challenges financially all the time. Tuition fee is our primary source of income, but since most of our students come from humble background, we must maintain our tuition fees at a reasonable level. Therefore, an additional stable source of income is crucial for our development.

I am delighted to tell you that last year and for the first time, OUHK was approved a total sum of HK$18 million from the government’s Research Grant Committee. This will be used to support 12 research initiatives by OUHK academics. At the same time, we have also strengthened our student support services by formally establishing the Student Affairs Office and collaborating with many local, Mainland and overseas institutions and organisations to provide a comprehensive range of internship and exchange opportunities. In 2015-16, we will be introducing 13 new distance-learning and full-time face-to-face programmes, including 10 post-graduate and master programmes, and PhD programmes. But putting all these together requires a long-term and vigilant budgeting process. This letter, therefore, serves as an invitation to our friends to support OUHK and give regularly every month. This will help to create a stable income stream that will allow us to effectively carry out and sustain our development plans.

Your generosity is not only a recognition and affirmation of our work, but also a driving force to propel us forward. As a member of the OU family, every dollar of your donation has helped to make a difference to someone’s lives. I sincerely invite you to go one step further and to make a monthly gift to the University so that we can create more life-changing experiences.

Yuk-Shan Wong President Summer 2015