Hello again, dear Martha
Today, I participated in the opening ceremony of HKU's "Global Lounge", a really really cool new lounge area that features international newspapers from around the world, a dozen flat-screen TV's that air foreign programs, a cyber cafe, a gym, and really really comfy sofas. The university hopes that the Global Lounge will be a meeting place for international students, exchange students, and Hong Kong students who are interested in meeting such people. By the way, the Global Lounge is on the ground floor of the Swire Building, which also houses Swire Hall, so I have the feeling that it will soon be overrun with Swireans. Well, since the Centre of Asian Studies is just next door, I'll still use it, Swire-dominated or not.
The opening ceremony was quite a grand affair, with extensive media coverage and a long list of VIP guests, among them the 21 university chancellors/presidents of the Universitas 21 network. As some of you may know, UBC is a member institution of U21 (http://www.universitas21.com/), which meant that President Martha Piper was in attendance. After the opening ceremony, I made my way to the VIP seats and chatted with President Piper, mentioning that I'm a UBC grad and that I'm doing my PhD at HKU. She asked me what I'm studying here, and what I studied at UBC. Then, she asked me if my education at UBC prepared me well for my education abroad and for postgraduate studies. Could you believe it? She was fishing for compliments! I can smell this sort of thing from miles away, because I'm quite guilty of doing this myself sometimes. What could I say? I smiled, nodded, and said "Yes, my education at UBC prepared me VERY well for this." Then, she asked about the quality of education and research at HKU, to which I replied that HKU does a better job of teaching methodology and the fundamentals of thesis writing, whereas UBC is very much "sink or swim". Then, she got touchy and said, "Well, the vast majority of universities are like that...", but before she finished, I said, "Yes, 'sink or swim' has its merits." I guess I didn't want to sound like a baby who needs more supervision, but perhaps it's too late.
Old Martha is resigning, right? I think people really give her a hard time. I don't mind that she's paid what she's paid. After all, she's done quite well as a fundraiser, right? And she has to be a pretentious bitch and has to give lame speeches - it's part of her job.
posted by krazykrankyken @ 11:59 p.m.
4 comments
4 Comments:
Wow, she must've come under heavy fire to be that defensive. It's unfortunate that most leaders spend more time parrying critics than to effect changes to improve their campus.
You want a real fundraiser? Not long after I started at University of Miami, the president, Donna Shalala, launched a campaign to raise US$1 BILLION in, like, seven years.
She's already got a big boost from the Miller family, a record $100 million to change the name of the med school. Miller sounds good. I'm glad that it's not some family with a complicated name like Krchzyskryvlk or something.
I talk too much.
A BILLION??? I stand corrected. I wonder how much Martha has raised in the last eight years.
I'm glad the tycoons in Hong Kong are in the habit of giving. Maybe they're motivated less by generosity, and motivated more by keeping up with each other. I only wish the super-rich in China start giving like the Hongkies do.
Once I was on a bus with the caretaker of the UBC President's mansion. He was drunk and he told me that there was some big secret about her that he wanted to tell. Unfortunately I had to get off the bus and he didn't tell me what it was.
If Martha finds out that Mr./Ms. Anonymous knows about her secret, she'd probably have him/her killed.
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