page_title: University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy
section_title: Reaction
hierarchical_section_title: University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy / Reaction
caption_attribution_description: English: Students and staff convene at Sun Yat-sen Place, University of Hong Kong, to protest political interference in university affairs in light of the HKU Council's rejection of the appointment of Johannes Chan to the post of pro-vice-chancellor, previously recommended by an independent committee.
context_page_description: The University of Hong Kong pro-vice-chancellor selection controversy surrounds alleged political interference behind the University of Hong Kong governing council's rejection of Johannes Chan's recommended appointment to the post of pro-vice-chancellor in charge of staffing and resources. Chan, dean of the Faculty of Law from 2002 until 2014, had been unanimously recommended for the post by a selection committee headed by university president Peter Mathieson. The governing council's decision, the first time that a candidate selected by the committee has been rejected, is widely viewed as political retaliation for Chan's involvement with pro-democratic figures including his former subordinate Benny Tai. A majority of HKU Council members are not students or staff of the university, and many are directly appointed by incumbent HKSAR Chief executive Leung Chun-ying. The decision has received international condemnation, and is being viewed as part of a Beijing-backed curtailing of academic freedoms that will damage Hong Kong's academic reputation.
context_section_description: After the decision, Johannes Chan said that as a statutory publicly funded body, the council should act in an open and transparent manner and confirmed that he thought that his rejection was politically motivated. He stated, "This is not an issue of personal gain or loss, but one about the core values of academic freedom and institutional autonomy."
caption: Students and faculty convene at Sun Yat-sen Place on the evening of 9 October
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