HONG KONG, October 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) today (9 October) joined hands with eleven renowned universities around the globe to form a University Social Responsibility (USR) Network to spearhead USR with impact to make the world a better place.

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Serving as a global platform to connect and foster partnership among members, the USR Network shares ideas and resources to develop collaborative USR projects with varied scope and scale, advancing higher education as a catalyst for social change through education, research and community service.

The Honorable Eddie Ng Hak-kim, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, endorsed the significance of this partnership in the Inauguration Ceremony of the USR Network held today at Hotel ICON. Mr Ng said, "Being the forefront of knowledge, higher education institutions have a principal mission to provide holistic education to students, and to groom them to become educated individuals with self-directed learning ability, a strong sense of social responsibility and commitment to their family and the nation, and responsible global citizens."

Founding members of the USR Network held their first meeting at PolyU yesterday. They agreed to further plan collaboration in research, service learning, and social responsibility related activities, as well as sharing insights and identifying best practices for the continued development of USR.

Speaking at the Inauguration Ceremony, Prof. Timothy W. Tong, PolyU President, said, "In the face of pressing world issues, universities can better address the challenges by sharing experiences, expertise, information and creativity. After all, global public goods are best realized by concerted global efforts."

Apart from the inauguration of the USR Network, an international seminar was held, with attendance of about 150 delegates from around the world. They exchanged views on topics including "community engagement", "nurturing student leadership", and "education and research strategies for enhancing social responsibility".  

Founding Members of the USR Network include leaders from the following universities (in alphabetical order of their country):

   
    Australia         University of New South Wales
    Hong Kong, P.R.C. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
    Israel            University of Haifa
    Japan             Kyoto University
    Korea             Yonsei University
    P.R.C.            Peking University
                      Beijing Normal University
                      Sichuan University
    U.K.              Clare Hall, University of Cambridge
                      The University of Manchester
    U.S.A.            Tufts University
                      Washington University in St. Louis

The Network delegates also paid a visit to Aberdeen Technical School, which is one of the partnering secondary schools of PolyU's Service-Learning subjects, to understand the holistic education that PolyU provides to its students.

Prof. Angelina Yuen, PolyU Vice President (Institutional Advancement and Partnership), said PolyU's social responsibility model is unique and trend-setting among tertiary institutions in Hong Kong and Asia. The Network is a manifestation of PolyU's commitment in advancing USR, fostering partnership and bringing social change through education, research and community service.

For details of the USR Network, please visit http://www.usrnetwork.org. Programme rundown of the Inaugurated Ceremony and Seminar is also attached for reference (English version only).

Press contacts:

Ms Winnie Lam
Division Head (Public Affairs)
Communications and Public Affairs Office
Telephone: +(852)2766-6377 / 9739-0807
E-mail: winnie.py.lam@polyu.edu.hk

Miss Sara Lai
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Communications and Public Affairs Office
Telephone: +(852)3400-3245/9162-8048
E-mail: sara.sl.lai@polyu.edu.hk

SOURCE The Hong Kong Polytechnic University