The OUHK will confer honorary doctorates on four distinguished personages at its Eighth Congregation in December. They are Dato' Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL); Mr Li Ka-shing, Chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd; Prof. Jao Tsung-I, world famous scholar in Chinese literature and arts; and Dr Philip Wu Po-him, Executive Director of Wing Lung Bank Ltd.

Prof. Gajaraj Dhanarajan will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa, for his commitment and contribution to distance learning and adult education in Asia.

Prof. Dhanarajan has devoted his past 21 years to distance education. He has established a number of distance education systems in South and Southeast Asia. Before joining the COL in 1995, Prof. Dhanarajan was Director of the Open Learning Institute (OLI) of Hong Kong (now the Open University of Hong Kong). He joined the OLI as Associate Director (Academic) in 1989 and led the institution from a humble start to mature as a leading provider of open learning widely recognized for its high quality and innovation.

Prof. Dhanarajan is a Malaysian citizen and holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Madras, a Master of Science from the University of London, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Aston in Birmingham.

Mr Li Ka-shing, Chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd, will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa, for his widely acclaimed contributions to Hong Kong and mainland China.

Born in Chaozhuo, China, in 1928, Mr Li left his hometown and moved to Hong Kong in 1940. He started his own business in manufacturing by establishing Cheung Kong Plastics Company at the age of 22. When he was 30, he was already a well-known entrepreneur with distinguished achievements. Today, his enterprises cover property investment and development, securities investment, retail and manufacturing, telecommunications, container terminals, energy and infrastructure, and hotels, employing over 80,000 people in Hong Kong and 24 countries and districts all over the world. The Group's combined market capitalization is estimated to be more than HK$500 billion.

Although Mr Li did not receive a formal education, he highly appreciates the importance of education and continues his pursuit of knowledge through self-learning. He has generously supported the development of numerous education, medical and community projects in Hong Kong, the mainland and overseas, including the establishment of Shantou University in his hometown, to which he has devoted much of his energy and resources. As of the end of 1998, Mr Li's donations had exceeded HK$2.8 billion.

Prof. Jao Tsung-I will be conferred the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, for his distinguished contribution to Chinese literature and arts.

Currently the Wei Lun Honorary Professor, Institute of Chinese Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Prof. Jao has many published writings in Chinese literature and arts. He has taught at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the CUHK and Singapore University. He has also taught and been involved in numerous research works in various institutions and universities in mainland China, Macau, Japan, India, France, and the United States.

Prof. Jao has been awarded numerous honours such as the Prix Stanislas Julein awarded by the Institute de France in 1962, and Doctor of Literature, honoris causa, by HKU in 1982. He has also been appointed honorary professor, adviser and consultant by a number of universities and organizations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. He was the first Chinese in history to receive the honorary degree award in humanities by the L'École Pratique des Hautes Études in France.

Dr Philip Wu Po-him, Executive Director of Wing Lung Bank Ltd and Deputy Council Chairman of the Open University of Hong Kong, will be awarded the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa.

Upon graduation from the University of Hong Kong, Dr Wu went to the United States to further his studies, where he obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from California State University and a PhD from the University of Oklahoma. He is a member of the Chinese Economic Association of North America, and was honoured as a Founder Member of the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers in 1995.

Dr Wu is a veteran banker in Hong Kong. He also renders significant community service and has served on the Consultative Committee on the New Airport and Related Projects, the Steering Committee on Business Park Consultancy, and the Hong Kong Productivity Council. He is also Deputy Chairman and Director of the Applied Research Council Co. Ltd.