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CityU’s Recent Milestones: A Timeline (2020–2026)

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ScopeUniversity-wideScopeInter-universityEra2020sGenreGeneral historyGenreAnnouncementGenreDataThemeUniversity originsThemeInternationalisation

CityU’s Recent Milestones: A Timeline (2020–2026)

Between 2020 and 2026, City University of Hong Kong experienced a watershed moment almost every year: one year it topped an international ranking, another saw the opening of a new campus, and another brought the sudden resignation of its Vice-Chancellor. This article traces CityU’s major public developments from 2020 to 2026 in timeline form: its peak of internationalisation, organisational restructuring, expansion of its educational footprint, ranking changes, and leadership transition. Where current and former leadership personnel are mentioned, the text largely uses their titles; in neutral factual sections (00–12), neutral facts about leaders may include names. Any controversial dimensions, should they arise, are confined to forum-specific entries, with this archive making no adjudication. For a more granular year-by-year chronicle, see leadership-timeline.md; for governance structures and successive Vice-Chancellors, see governance-structure-and-presidents.md.

1. 2020–2022 · The pandemic, ranking ascents, and symbolic construction

  • 2020–2022: During the Covid-19 pandemic, online and hybrid teaching was implemented (as across all Hong Kong tertiary institutions).
  • 2021: CityU introduced its alma mater song (2021 edition, lyrics by Kuo Way, music by Li Junyi, in two movements, ‘Academic Inquiry’ and ‘Technological Innovation’), further refining its symbolic apparatus (see motto-emblem-and-symbols.md).
  • Across this period, CityU entered or held a stable place among the world’s top 100 in multiple rankings including QS, THE, and U.S. News (see details in 03-rankings/).

2. 2023 · A change at the top

  • 13 May 2023: Vice-Chancellor and President Kuo Way stepped down upon completing his term, ending a fifteen-year tenure (per Sina Finance).
  • 14 May 2023: A new Vice-Chancellor and President assumed office (per Traditional Chinese Wikipedia). The incoming Vice-Chancellor, a materials science and bioengineering scholar, had previously served as Deputy President and Provost of the National University of Singapore.
  • In the same year, CityU initiated preparations for several academic reorganisations (see the 2024 entries for details).

3. 2024 · A peak in internationalisation + a landmark year for restructuring and expansion

Ranking: World’s Most International University

  • January 2024: CityU was named the ‘Most International University in the World’ by Times Higher Education (THE) for the first time (per CityU News). The ranking is based on four metrics: international students, international faculty, international co-authorship, and international reputation.

Restructuring: A College of Computing and a College of Biomedicine

  • 2024: The College of Computing was established, integrating the former School of Data Science and Department of Computer Science (per CityU GEO). A new College of Biomedicine was also created during this period, bringing the total number of colleges and schools to 11.

The spin-off and integration of the College of Computing marks a significant adjustment to CityU’s academic architecture in recent years: the concentration of related disciplines such as data science and computer science into a single college echoes the trend of disciplinary regrouping in the age of AI and data.

Campus: Lee Shau Kee Student Hostel Village opens

  • 2024: The Lee Shau Kee Student Hostel Village opened at Whitehead in Ma On Shan, providing over 2,000 bed spaces. Constructed using Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) technology with more than 1,300 modules, it was named in recognition of Lee Shau Kee, the founder of Henderson Land Development, for his long-standing donations (per Henderson Land News).

Education footprint: Establishment and opening of the Dongguan campus

  • April 2024: The Ministry of Education officially approved the establishment of City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) (per CityU News).
  • 2 September 2024: CityU (Dongguan) commenced teaching and held its grand opening ceremony. The first cohort included over 500 undergraduate and postgraduate students, with the initial four undergraduate programmes being Computer Science and Technology, Smart Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Energy and Power Engineering (per CityU press release).

The Dongguan campus is an extension of CityU’s educational mission under the Greater Bay Area and national strategies. For its synergy and positioning vis-à-vis the main campus, see 09-international/.

4. 2025 · A second international title, a new Council Chairman, and continued ranking progress

  • 1 January 2025: A new Council Chairman assumed office (for a three-year term), succeeding the outgoing Chairman. The new Chairman is a veteran of the finance sector (per Orange News).
  • March 2025: CityU was named the ‘Most International University in the World’ by THE for a second consecutive year (per CityU News).
  • October 2025: CityU rose to around 75th place in the THE World University Rankings, maintaining its global first-place position in the ‘Industry’ pillar (per CityU News).
  • December 2025: CityU purchased an office building at Festival Walk, primarily to expand wet-laboratory capacity for research (see details in leadership-timeline.md).

5. 2026 · A third straight international title + Vice-Chancellor resigns

Internationalisation: A three-peat

  • 2026: CityU was named the ‘Most International University in the World’ by THE for a third consecutive year (per The Standard).

Leadership: Vice-Chancellor resigns; Acting President assumes office (a record by title)

  • 24 April 2026: The University announced that the Vice-Chancellor and President had resigned for personal reasons, effective immediately. His departure came less than three years into a term that began in 2023, roughly two years earlier than scheduled (per CityU press release; SCMP).
  • On the same day, the Council’s Executive Committee immediately appointed the Provost and Deputy President as Acting President, stating that it would ‘extend its full support to ensure a smooth transition’ and would launch a global search for a successor ‘in the coming short period’ (per CityU press release).
  • Government response: The UGC Chairman and the Education Bureau responded to media enquiries regarding the Vice-Chancellor’s departure, expressing respect for his decision (per Government press release; Education Bureau response).

6. Quick reference: recent milestones

Date Event
2021 2021 edition of the alma mater song instituted
May 2023 Change of Vice-Chancellor
Jan 2024 THE ‘Most International University in the World’ No. 1 (first time)
2024 Restructuring: College of Computing, College of Biomedicine, et al.
2024 Lee Shau Kee Student Hostel Village opened
Apr / Sep 2024 Dongguan campus approved / commenced teaching
Jan 2025 New Council Chairman assumes office
Mar 2025 THE Most International No. 1 (second year)
Dec 2025 Purchase of Festival Walk office building
2026 THE Most International No. 1 (third consecutive year)
24 Apr 2026 Vice-Chancellor resigns; Acting President assumes office

Sources

Cross-references

Notes on consolidation and splitting

This article originally consolidated four legacy files—00-overview/timeline-2023-2026.md, 00-overview/governance.md, 00-overview/governance-framework-explained.md, and 00-overview/symbols.md—but was split by topic on 2 July 2026 because the combined piece had grown too large (over 27,000 characters):

This page retains its position as the parent timeline for 2020–2026 and its stable URL.

Criteria for future updates

Future updates will enter the main text based on only three categories of material: first, primary sources such as the University’s official website, annual reports, school/faculty webpages, and regulatory or ranking bodies; second, verifiable facts from reliable media, student media, or public archives; third, public timelines that explain institutional changes. Single screenshots, undated rumours, ranking slogans that cannot be traced to a source, or personal appraisals will be treated only as leads to be verified and must never be written directly into the text as fact.

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