香港大學辭任校長馬斐森給師生的公開信

香港大學校長馬斐森今日宣布辭職。他將於明年1月才正式離職，並於英國愛丁堡大學擔任校長。馬斐森今日向港大的師生及校友發信解釋辭職決定，強調過去三年香港政治環境前所未有地複雜，而大學一直捍衛核心價值。

Dear colleagues, students, alumni and friends,
I am writing to inform you that I have resigned as your President and Vice-Chancellor, and I plan to leave HKU in January 2018. Thereafter I will take up a new appointment as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh.
During my one year’s notice period, it will be very important that there is no loss of momentum at HKU: the Senior Management Team is unanimously and heavily engaged in a process of reform towards achieving our Vision of Innovation, Interdisciplinarity and Internationalisation converging on Impact, and being Asia’s Global University. I will remain dedicated to the task and working hard with all of you to achieve our goals. The departure of one person must not be allowed to derail the progress being made at this great and venerable University.
It has been a distinct privilege to lead HKU for almost three years and I am sorry and somewhat surprised to be leaving before the completion of my term. The HKU students, staff, alumni and friends are wonderful and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you all: I regret that it was not for longer. There are very few universities in the world that could have tempted me to leave HKU but Edinburgh is one of them. I have many personal reasons for returning to the UK and I have decided after extensive discussions with my family to take this opportunity now.
I will leave HKU with a sense of great progress having been made during my time here. We have articulated a strategic vision for the next ten years of the University and put in place many of the reforms and modernisations that will be required to deliver that vision.
We have already greatly improved our international visibility, including new strategic partnerships with top universities in the US, UK and Australia and our pioneering dual degree agreements with the likes of University College London, Sciences Po and University of Southern California.
We have put together a superb Senior Management Team (SMT), reformed the reporting structures for senior academic staff including establishing a clear mandate from the SMT for the Faculty Deans, reformed academic career structures, staff review and development procedures and streamlined and made more transparent and objective our hiring, promotion and tenure decisions.
Ambitious proposals are well-advanced to reform the budgeting of the University and ensure that our resources can be optimally deployed. We have established a recovery plan for Centennial College. We have radically improved the governance situation regarding the HKU-Shenzhen Hospital, including addressing the financial risks associated with the project and negotiating a detailed repayment schedule.
We have taken bold moves to address the University’s chronic shortage of accommodation for staff and students including purchasing and renting new sites; resolving a very longstanding issue around the lease for High West which will allow us to develop the site; collaborating with St John’s College on an exciting development plan; subdividing unduly large apartments and taking back from the private market numerous units for staff usage.
We have responded to the patchy results in Research Assessment Exercise 2014 by focusing attention on areas of concern, made strategic new hires, rewarded excellence and planned proactively for the next research assessment.
I have personally led efforts to improve gender equity at HKU and we have made considerable progress: eg shifting the proportion of women at Dean level or above from 9% when I arrived to over 20% and rising now; hosting or co-hosting numerous events with like-minded organisations and generally making equal opportunities part of the daily dialogue at HKU; we have improved maternity leave and provision of breast-feeding facilities; mandated female representation on all search committees, appointments panels and shortlists and made definite plans for a nursery on campus.
Perhaps most satisfyingly of all, repeatedly during the last three years we have articulated, promoted and defended the University’s core principles during a period of unprecedented political complexity in Hong Kong, ensuring that our students and staff can continue to flourish in an environment that respects their freedom of speech: long may this continue.
When I arrived it was clear that HKU already had many excellent staff and a superbly talented student body. We have continued to attract the brightest and best students and we have hired some wonderful new staff during my time here: they will help to take forward the bold plans that we have set out. As outlined above, my departure must not derail the progress or slow the momentum: I hope you will all give full support to my successor.
I am very optimistic about HKU’s future: it is a wonderful institution in a region of the world that is replete with further development potential. I hope to maintain a collaborative relationship with HKU in the future and to keep in close contact with you all. Tina and I will leave here with many friends and many happy memories. Thank you for giving us the honour of being part of the history of this distinguished University.
With very best wishes for the future,
Peter Mathieson
President and Vice-Chancellor

近年香港大學爭議不斷，包括擢升副校長、學生衝擊校委會等，處於風眼的港大校長馬斐森（Peter Mathieson）昨天以個人理由宣佈辭職，於明年一月離任，比原定時間早一年三個月，接着將出任英國愛丁堡大學校長兼副校監。對於未能完成五年任期，他表示抱歉，但強調在過去三年複雜的政治環境下，成功捍衞港大的核心價值，確保師生言論自由受保障。據悉，他減薪逾五成至二百九十六萬。
馬斐森昨宣佈辭任港大校長一職，將於明年一月離任，他將會返回英國，出任愛丁堡大學校長。
馬斐森辭職的消息，昨日傍晚由電子傳媒率先披露。據了解，馬斐森下午陸續向港大師生及校友發信，公佈他辭職的決定，將於明年一月離任，他已獲聘為英國愛丁堡大學校長兼副校監。他在信中指，對於原定二○一九年任期屆滿前離任，表示抱歉，指自己亦感意外，「世界上只有很少大學可以吸引我離開港大，愛丁堡大學是其中之一」。他解釋，有很多私人理由，與家人仔細討論後，決定返回英國，並接受愛丁堡大學聘任。據悉，馬斐森想返回蘇格蘭照顧母親，妻子亦想回國工作。
明年一月提早離任
馬斐森在信中指，港大過去三年在多方面取得進展，其中最滿意是港大在香港經歷前所未有的複雜政治環境下，成功捍衞大學的核心價值，保障師生的言論自由，他期望這種情況可延續下去。
港大昨天正式公佈馬斐森辭職消息之前，愛丁堡大學先在網頁公佈委任馬斐森為新一任校長兼副校監，並引述馬斐森指十分享受在港大的日子，期待帶領愛丁堡大學展開新一頁。不過，馬斐森要減薪轉工，由港大現在年薪約六百六十萬元至六百七十五萬元，減至愛丁堡大學給予的約三十萬鎊（約二百九十六萬港元），減薪逾五成.
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人家宁愿减薪，在他处谋职，也不愿待在共匪的地盘