A Chronicle of Vice-Chancellors and Council Chairmen: From David Johns to the Unplanned Transition of 2026

City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) Comprehensive Information Database · Governance Module

Note: This article compiles leadership records based on official CityU announcements, government press releases, and verifiable news sources. Current serving leadership (including the Acting President and the Council Chairman) are referred to by their titles in the commentary sections of this article; historical figures are named as per general convention.

This is the fourth piece in the 'University Governance' series. For a multi-perspective analysis of controversial events, see Governance Controversies and the Discourse on Academic Autonomy; for a full genealogy of Council Chairmen, see Genealogy of Council Chairmen; for the statutory governance framework, see Governance Structure and Legal Framework.

In 1983, an educator from Loughborough University of Technology sketched a development blueprint for an institute without a permanent campus, operating from temporary premises in Mong Kok. Over forty years later, that institute has grown into a comprehensive university that has seen five changes of Vice-Chancellor, the longest-serving of whom held the post for fifteen years. That record of rare stability was broken on a Friday in April 2026, with a resignation statement citing "personal reasons." Tracing the line of succession through five substantive Vice-Chancellors and two acting heads, this article reconstructs a history of leadership transition that, while not long, has accelerated sharply in recent years.

# Overview of Past Vice-Chancellors

Since its founding as the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong in 1984^※, CityU has had five substantive Vice-Chancellors and two acting presidents, forming a clear line of succession.

# The Founding Era: David Johns and the Start-up Polytechnic (1983–1989)

David Johns^※ was a senior educator from Loughborough University of Technology in the UK. Appointed as the first head in 1983^※, he led the start-up of the new institution. The City Polytechnic was formally established on 1 January 1984, initially operating from temporary premises in Mong Kok^※. During his tenure, Johns’ primary tasks were:

• Establishing the institution’s foundational structure and recruiting a core faculty;
• Moving to the permanent campus on Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong in 1990^※ (the physical relocation work spanned into his successor's term);
• Defining an applied, professionally-oriented teaching mission.

Johns retired in 1989^※ and subsequently returned to the UK to become Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bradford.

# Laying the Groundwork for a Name: Cheng Yiu-chung on the Eve of University Status (1989–1996)

During Cheng Yiu-chung's tenure, the Polytechnic achieved two critical milestones:

1. Moving to the permanent campus: The institution relocated to its current Tat Chee Avenue site in 1990^※, ending the temporary Mong Kok phase.
2. Initiating the application for university status: In early 1991, the Polytechnic applied to the Hong Kong government for self-accrediting status and the university title^※, laying the legal and academic groundwork for its eventual formal recognition as a university.

Cheng stepped down in April 1996^※ and immediately assumed the role of Vice-Chancellor of HKU, a rare case of a lateral move at the same level within Hong Kong's higher education sector.

# Consolidation and Advancement: The 11-Year Tenure of H.K. Chang (1996–2007)

H.K. Chang (Chang Hsin-kang), a biomedical engineering scholar, took the helm just after the institution had been formally granted university status in 1994^※, a critical juncture in its transition from a polytechnic to a comprehensive university.

Chang served for 11 years^※ (1996–2007), making his the third-longest presidency in CityU's history to date. His key achievements include:

• Deepening the shift of academic programmes from a vocational to a research-oriented focus;
• Promoting international exchange and cross-civilisational studies; he himself was known for his engagement in East-West cultural dialogue;
• Participating in the expansion of campus infrastructure.

His tenure spanned major historical junctures including the 1997 handover of Hong Kong and the 2003 SARS epidemic. Chang retired in April 2007^※, leaving a one-year transition period served by his deputy, Ho Yin-kee.

# The Longest Tenure: Mr. Way Kuo's 15 Years (2008–2023)

Mr. Way Kuo, a Taiwanese-American reliability-engineering scholar, formerly served as Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee. He assumed the presidency of CityU as its fourth Vice-Chancellor on 14 May 2008^※ and served until his term expired on 13 May 2023^※, a tenure of 15 years^※ — the longest in the University's history. Upon his departure, media reports noted he was one of the highest-paid university heads in Hong Kong^※.

Selected key developments during Mr. Kuo's tenure (detailed records exist in Module 00-12):

• Driving CityU’s significant rise in internationalisation rankings, leading THE's "Most International Universities" list for several consecutive years;
• Leading the inaugural intake of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences in the 2017/18 academic year^※, making CityU the only institution in Hong Kong to offer an undergraduate veterinary medicine degree;
• Launching the HK Tech 300 innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem (officially rolled out in March 2021^※).

Mr. Kuo’s public stance was notably defined by a commitment to "separating politics from education and integrating teaching with research," a posture distinct from the signalling adopted by some other university managements of the same period. For specific practices during this particular era and the NSL petition controversy, see Governance Controversies and the Discourse on Academic Autonomy.

On 13 May 2023^※, Mr. Kuo formally stepped down. CityU established the "Way Kuo Distinguished Lecture Series" in his name, recognising his contributions during his tenure.

# Resignation of the Fifth Vice-Chancellor and the Appointment of an Acting Head (2023–2026)

In May 2023^※, a scholar from the National University of Singapore (surnamed Mei, with an academic background in biomaterials engineering) assumed office as the fifth Vice-Chancellor of CityU, on a five-year term originally due to expire in 2028^※.

However, on 24 April 2026^※, the then-President resigned early, citing "personal reasons," with approximately two years remaining on his contract. The official CityU press release on the same day announced:

According to the CityU official statement, the Provost and Deputy President (surnamed Lee) would assume the role of Acting President with immediate effect to ensure stable University operations during the transition period; the University would simultaneously initiate a global recruitment process to search for the next President.

The Education Bureau issued a statement on the same day^※, expressing that the Government respects the personal wishes and decision of the then-President, thanking him for his service to CityU, and expressing confidence in the CityU Council to select the most suitable candidate. The Chairman of the University Grants Committee also responded^※, supporting CityU in launching a global search according to its established mechanisms.

This early departure marks CityU’s first unplanned presidential transition in less than three years^※, with an acting head appointed immediately and a global search underway in parallel. As of the time of this article's compilation (June 2026), no successor has been announced. For multiple interpretations of the resignation and the respective statements from the Education Bureau and the media, see Governance Controversies and the Discourse on Academic Autonomy.

# Succession of Council Chairmen

The Chairman of the CityU Council is appointed by the Chief Executive, typically for a three-year term, which is renewable. Based on verifiable official records, the known sequence of Chairmen is as follows:

Note: The list of chairmen for the 2000s and earlier periods above is incomplete; there are informational gaps for some intervening terms, and only these specific anchor points are currently available. In this article's unorthodox-history/governance module, the serving Council Chairman is identified by title, not by name. For a complete genealogy of chairmen's tenures and an analysis of the system, see Genealogy of Council Chairmen.

# Summary

Since the appointment of the first head, David Johns, in 1983, CityU has changed its substantive head only five times in over forty years, a frequency of turnover lower than that at some comparable institutions. All past Vice-Chancellors have come from specialist academic backgrounds with considerable international experience. The unplanned presidential transition of 2026^※ is the first time in CityU's history that an acting head has succeeded a president before the completion of their term. The succession arrangements and timeline will become clearer as the global search progresses.