The world was changing when Justice Kin Kee Pang, Arts鈥70, took his final Queen鈥檚 exam in 1970. Computers were about to revolutionize industries, the war in Vietnam was dividing the world, and China was in the midst of the Cultural Revolution.
The now-retired Judge of the High Court in Hong Kong credits his Queen鈥檚 education for helping him prepare for those changes and launching a long and successful legal career.
More than four decades after graduating, Justice Pang was part of a history-making day in Hong Kong on May 20 when he received the first Queen鈥檚 honorary degree conferred outside of Canada. It was a part of a special weekend of events as Queen鈥檚 continues to deepen its ties with alumni and partners in the Asia-Pacific region.
鈥淥n that June afternoon (in 1970), I strode boldly forward into the real world. With the benefit of hindsight, it was probably out of my youthful recklessness rather than considered resolve on my part,鈥 said Justice Pang, a long-time president of the Hong Kong Branch of the Queen鈥檚 University Alumni Association who also served two terms on Queen鈥檚 University Council. 鈥淭hank you Queen鈥檚 for helping me to realize my wildest dreams and for making it possible for me to stand where I am today.鈥
The honorary degree ceremony was part of two events in Hong Kong that took place in celebration of Queen鈥檚 175th anniversary. Many of Queen鈥檚 senior leaders 鈥 including Chancellor Jim Leech, MBA鈥73, Principal Daniel Woolf, Artsci鈥80, Rector Cam Yung, Artsci鈥17, Vice-Principal (Advancement) Tom Harris, Sc鈥75, and Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon 鈥 crossed the globe to gather with alumni, students, and academic partners for a convocation-style event in the afternoon and a gala black-tie dinner in the evening.
鈥淲e wanted a history-making event with the Queen鈥檚 community in Hong Kong, deliberately concluding our 175th-anniversary celebrations in a location outside North America,鈥 says Principal Woolf. 鈥淗ong Kong, which became a British colony in the same year that 成人大片 was established, has one of our most active international alumni branches and was the perfect location in which to signify our increasing global engagement."
If Queen鈥檚 wants to continue to grow for the next 175 years, it needs to look beyond Canadian borders and build and strengthen its global ties. The Comprehensive International Plan, launched in 2015, has focused the University on a new set of priorities, expanding relationships with global research partners and attracting the best students and faculty from around the world.
鈥淨ueen鈥檚 is thriving today, but we need to keep our eye on the future. And the future is global,鈥 Provost Bacon said.
Honorary degree recipient Justice Pang with volunteer members of the Hong Kong Alumni Branch.
The afternoon convocation-style ceremony brought many of the Queen鈥檚 traditions to the engaged alumni. The ceremony itself took place against a photographic backdrop of Grant Hall projected on a ten-foot by 20-foot LED wall, giving alumni the feeling they were back on Queen鈥檚 campus. Along with Justice Pang鈥檚 honorary degree conferral, alumni walked across the ballroom stage to shake hands with Principal Woolf, Chancellor Leech, and Rector Yung, and reconfirm their commitment to their alma mater. The ceremony was followed by a black-tie gala dinner with a keynote address from Queen鈥檚 Professor Emeritus and Nobel Laureate Dr. Arthur B. McDonald.
The positive feedback from Hong Kong alumni is a true testament that tricolour spirit lives well beyond Canada鈥檚 borders.
Hong Kong Branch executive member and Chair of the Advisory Board for the event, Edmond Chan, Artsci鈥97, was happy so many campus leaders from Kingston travelled 12,500 kilometres to meet with local alumni and students.
鈥淭he tricolour spirit is powerful and there is no known cure for it. The response from the Hong Kong alumni community was tremendous. It was an amazing day 鈥 both events were packed with people sharing their favourite Queen鈥檚 memories and reconnecting with the school. We all look forward to the next signature event in Hong Kong,鈥 says Mr. Chan.
Following events in Hong Kong, Provost Bacon and Associate Vice-Principal (International) Kathy O鈥橞rien, travelled to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Qingdao. They signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Chinese universities on issues ranging from mental health research to collaborating on a dual degree master鈥檚 program in Education. Provost Bacon and Ms. O鈥橞rien also hosted an event for alumni, students, and university partners in Shanghai on May 24.
Please visit the Queen鈥檚 Alumni Flickr album for more photos from the Hong Kong 175th events.
