(From left) Kenneth Chao, Jack Fan, Lesley Yeung and Dr Mike Robertshaw.

The OLI's headquarters at Mongkok (from 1990 to 1996).

The OUHK's permanent campus in Ho Man Tin was opened in 1996.

When OLIHK first started, we were very much the 'newbies' in tertiary education in Hong Kong. Not only were we new as an institution, but our approach to education was different, if not totally alien! Our mere presence seemed to generate scepticism and our non-conformity made us easy targets for uninformed criticism. Without the extensive financial backing normally allocated by Government to tertiary institutions we felt even more insecure as we tried to become accepted. Our very existence depended on our ability to prove ourselves.

Therefore, we allowed ourselves, from the very beginning and repeatedly afterwards, to be subject to the most detailed external inspection at times when we were already buckling under the need to develop courses and programmes at top speed. However, the difficulties of those early years seemed to strengthen our resolve to prove that distance education could meet the demands presented to us and could satisfy any conditions set before us. We passed every inspection with praise from the visiting panel and achieved university status faster than any comparable institution.

After finally being accepted into the 'club' we began to look at what we had achieved and how this had been done. With growing maturity we have realized that at times we have been too conservative in developing our systems and that now we can afford to relax a little. At the same time we are re-defining our role in the education sector with the move towards establishing a greater level of research activity.

Ten years on we are still viewed as a little alien, but that's fine. We are different and should continue to see ourselves as such. It is our very difference that makes us special. It is that difference that is demonstrated every time an OUHK graduate crosses the stage at convocation.

What are some of the most prominent features or developments distinguishing the new OU from the old OU or OLI?

I think the OUHK has become much more academic-oriented: academic staff are carrying out more research. There are also now quite a number of 'very active' researchers.

As a result, the OUHK's organizational culture has become more competitive. There is more competition amongst colleagues for greater responsibility, more research projects, and greater competition to publish more journal papers. Different schools are also competing for students, both within the OUHK and with other local and overseas univer-sities. The challenge of providing more courses, especially Chinese ones, within a short period, has meant increasing efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

We have also moved 'closer' to our students. Our schools now have 'Ownership' of and are empowered to arrange the Outstanding Students Award Ceremony and New Student Orientation sessions, as well as information sessions for continuing students, instead of asking for help from Registry.

Another development is that OUHK has become more 'digitized' Many staff, including myself, are thinking of ways of making use of IT to add value to our courses.

In the future, I hope we will interact more with the business community, especially on consultancy or collaborative projects. Secondly, I hope to see more encouragement and involvement in community service through contact with and exposure to the mass media.

When I joined the OLI in 1989, most of our offices in the Hennessy Centre were separated by partitions only. Although there was a greater sense of camaraderie, some of the conversations you could overhear were so entertaining they could be distracting. Nowadays, with separate offices, the atmosphere is calmer and the work more productive.

In August 1989, three members of staff were still struggling to get together the materials for the three courses scheduled for presentation in October. With such tight deadlines, evenings and weekends were spent in the office and tempers frayed. Amazingly, the work was completed on time and the developers survived. Similarly, I was responsible for writing one of the two courses that were to be presented in April 1990. In that semester, I saw very little of the inside of my apartment. But eventually 12 study units were completed by April 1990. Now I can look back on that time with a feeling of achievement at having contributed to the launching of the School.

Many things have changed and progress has been made. It's quite astounding to think how much has happened in ten short years: from a recruitment of 3,671 students in the Business School in October 1989 to 16,098 students today. From the studentsÕ point of view, the courses have always been presented with efficiency and professionalism. I don't think they realize the revolutions that have been taking place behind the scenes to cater for such an expansion in such a short time while maintaining the same standards they have come to expect of us.