Professor Morris Jong
When Professor Morris Jong worked as Assistant Professor in CUHK, he was not a member of Shaw College. He became a resident tutor in Student Hostel II by chance, and was invited by Ms Bonnie Kan, the then College Secretary, to join Shaw College. Professor Jong started to serve as Dean of Students of the College in 2017.
Students nowadays learn quickly and know different ways to learn. It is crucial, however, to be able to judge the authenticity of information by critical thinking in the era of information explosion. This is one of the reasons Professor Jong considers experiential learning important and hopes students not to limit themselves to academic learning, but seize the opportunity to participate in exchange programme, see things with their own experiences and feel the world with their hearts.
The College puts emphasis on informal moral education, compared with teaching and research, the most challenging to Professor Jong is that it is hard to quantify the learning results, and the outcome may not be seen immediately. Fortunately, Professor Jong can see the improvement of students when getting along with them or from their communication with others. Some students also told Professor Jong that they benefited a lot from the activities organised by the College. Professor Jong takes photos with graduates on the Graduation Class Photo Day every year, and is impressed to see students growing up after the university study.
The College has been promoting mindfulness in recent years and sharing the benefits it brings to the body and mind. Professor Jong agrees with the idea and believes that the new generation is now facing bigger challenges than when he was a student. Physical and mental health and self-exploration are therefore indispensable. Apart from professional skills, collaboration and communication skills are also essential. Professor Jong thinks that students of Shaw College are very creative, and hopes they do not only pursue knowledge, but also apply the founding aspiration of the College - "Learning, innovation and benefitting humankind" to benefit people.
This article was originally published in the Newsletter of the College, Shaw Link in May 2023.