163 162 Chapter Eight: Faculty and Staff Testimonials Chapter Eight: Faculty and Staff Testimonials “ Mental health is poorly understood and rarely discussed in our culture. It is even more difficult to accept that our students, being on top of the world as they all appear to be, are vulnerable to psychological issues. Yet as the undergraduate coordinator of my department for many years, I have come across numerous students who suffer from depression of varying degrees, and many more who experienced helplessness and self-doubt and felt isolated and lonely. The university experience can be extremely rewarding and fun, but there is a dark side to HKUST’s atmosphere of competitiveness and passion for achievement, one that we sometimes fail to see or acknowledge. I hope we can live up to our mission that we are educating our students as whole persons, and not only as future employees, researchers or otherwise high-flying achievers. I am grateful for the professional team of counselors in HKUST who deeply care about students, and are always there at the frontline to help those who are most in need. However, for the larger population of students who feel lost and unfulfilled in their HKUST lives, I feel that there is a lot more that we – faculty, staff and students alike – can do together to make HKUST a warmer and kinder place, and to give students the necessary support to realize their potential and find meaning in their lives. To start with, perhaps we just need to be more open to share our yearnings and vulnerabilities – in other words, our human sides – with each other, so that we all know that we are not alone in this journey to greatness. ” Prof Henry Lam Associate Head and Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering “ Educating students is the most important job we have as faculty members at university. Unlike primary or high school teachers, we often assume that university students are mature enough to handle everything. We often ignore the fact that life is a non-stop learning process and that even professors sometimes face issues they cannot handle by themselves. It is critical that all members of the university community view themselves as part of a team and support each other. Everyone needs help at certain points of their life. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather of maturity. Through seeking and offering help, we better ourselves and strengthen our team. Being a teacher gives us the opportunity to work with students. Our best reward is the chance to witness their growth, becoming stronger and successful. Success should not be measured only by a single criterion like CGA or money. Each of us was born with our unique beauty. It is totally fine if someone scores higher than us in one subject, or someone else plays basketball better than us. Our responsibility in life is to make sure we fully develop our potential to make a difference and to help others in whatever way we can. To quote Prof. Stephen Hawking: “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” ” Prof Bertram Shi Head and Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering Prof Shenghui Song Assistant Professor, Division of Integrative Systems and Design Assistant Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering UG Programs Coordinator (Electronic and Computer Engineering)
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