Newcastle University

On Tuesday 28 May, the University held an event for alumni in Hong Kong. This was an evening hosted by Dr Lawrence Li (MB BS 1977), who had very kindly arranged for the event to be held in the prestigious Hong Kong Club, and the University’s Registrar, John Hogan. The event was very well attended with approximately 70 members of the alumni drawn from many different degree programmes and years attending. It was an opportunity for networking and finding out a little bit about developments in the University in recent years.

The University has about 1,000 members of alumni in Hong Kong which makes it one of the most important bases for the alumni outside the UK. During the event there was a great deal of enthusiasm for the development of a local alumni branch and this is something we will be working on over the next few months.

We had a special guest of honour. The University was delighted that Dr Elsie Tu was able to attend. Dr Tu is the oldest member of the alumni and celebrated her 100th birthday on 2 June this year. The University gave her a birthday cake at the alumni event even though it was a few days early. Dr Tu is a remarkable individual. She spent her childhood in Newcastle and attended Armstrong College between 1932 and 1937. She is, therefore, the only member of the alumni who graduated from the predecessor of King’s College which was established in 1937. During the 1940s and 50s she began her remarkable work of providing schools to disadvantaged children in Hong Kong. In the 1960s she entered politics and became a member of the legislative council supporting those with no voice in the official system. The University was proud to award Dr Tu and honorary degree in 1996.

Dr Tu’s leadership in the provision of education to those who would not otherwise have access is a commitment that the University has continued over the years. This was recognised most recently by the award of the 2013 TED Prize to Professor Sugata Mitra for the School in the Cloud concept and his work in bringing educational opportunities to the slums of India.

Photographs from the event can be found on our NUGrad Photo Gallery.