Dear faculty, staff, students, alumni, and HKUST supporters,
 
Today is a very special day in my heart as I begin my duties as HKUST’s fifth president. Given my long-standing affection for the University and its people, I am immensely honored to serve in this capacity.
 
Almost three decades after joining HKUST, I still experience a rush of excitement when walking around our beautiful campus, seeing familiar places and faces, and welcoming new members to our family. Thanks to the leadership of our previous presidents and all of your dedicated efforts, the University has developed a strong foundation of excellence in just 30 years. We have achieved all this through commitment, teamwork, and an unremitting pioneering spirit. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my predecessor, Professor Wei Shyy, for his tremendous devotion and contributions to HKUST.
 
As HKUST enters its fourth decade, we must all strive together to create and transfer knowledge to meet the needs of today’s fast-changing world. Nurturing a solution-focused mindset, we will develop technologies and implement novel concepts to help address pressing global issues, such as aging populations, pandemics and the climate crisis. It is also of paramount importance that we continue to innovate, internationalize, and further integrate our University community.
 
People are at the very heart of our success. Your talent, dedication, and contribution have played a vital role in cementing HKUST’s status as a powerhouse of knowledge and innovation. One of my immediate goals is to empower our community and instill a sense of trust and ownership to drive the University’s advancement. We will also boost our efforts to recruit and retain global talent from every possible background to our diverse and inclusive campus. I believe in a collaborative environment with open communication and free exchange of ideas to spark innovation.
 
With the opening of the new campus in Guangzhou (GZ), we have now entered a new stage of development, with HKUST(GZ) offering exceptional opportunities to our entire community. Our Clear Water Bay and GZ campuses will join hands to bring education, research, and knowledge transfer endeavors to a new level. This new synergistic platform is primed for greater levels of collaboration to drive innovation, placing us in a stronger position to take a leadership role in addressing grand challenges, while expanding our footprint in the Greater Bay Area.  
 
As vibrant centers of knowledge and innovation, universities hold immense social value. In expanding HKUST’s impact on society, we will forge deeper levels of engagement and mutually-beneficial collaborations with government, industry, and other areas of society. I also aim to strengthen the humanities on campus, to nurture graduates that are empathetic, can understand complex societal issues, and are readily adaptable to rapidly changing environments.   As we move towards our aspiration to be a top global academic and research institute, we will continue to build collaborations locally, regionally, and internationally to enhance education, research, and knowledge transfer.
 
HKUST is more than just a place to work and study. It is a thriving community, a hub of ingenuity, and a home that builds long-term partnerships. I will dedicate myself to ensure that the flame of innovation will continue to burn bright, making the University a place where everyone can achieve and exceed their potential. Our future is extraordinary, and I invite you to join me on this journey as we take HKUST to new horizons of excellence.
 
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Nancy Y. IP
President and The Morningside Professor of Life Science
HKUST