The University of Hong Kong — Governance Structure and Successive Vice-Chancellors

Module: 00 Overview · Sub-file: Governance (governance) HKU's governing authority is set out in the University of Hong Kong Ordinance (Cap. 1053) and its Statutes. The University has a Court, a Council, and a Senate; the composition, powers, and duties of these three bodies are prescribed by the Ordinance and Statutes^※. This article draws on the official texts and the Ordinance to explain what the current structure is and which legal instruments created it. Recent controversies in university governance (2023–24, etc.) are excluded from this module; they are routed to ../13-governance-and-reform/.

# 1. Governance Structure at a Glance

Chancellor — The Chief Executive of the HKSAR serves ex officio (before the handover, the Governor of Hong Kong)
      │ Titular head
Pro-Chancellor — Assists or acts for the Chancellor in certain functions
      │
Court — The supreme advisory body (broad representation of internal and external stakeholders)
      │
Council — The supreme governing body (led by a Chairman, governs and controls finances, custodian of the University seal)
      │
President & Vice-Chancellor — The University's chief executive officer
      │
Provost & Deputy Vice-Chancellor — Overall responsibility for academic administration
      │
Vice-Presidents / Pro-Vice-Chancellors — Portfolios covering academic development, teaching, research, health, global affairs, etc.
      │
Senate — The supreme academic body (regulates all educational matters)
      │
Ten Faculties ←→ Departments/Schools and Research Institutes ←→ Hall system
      │
Convocation — A statutory body composed of all graduates

A "dual-track" governance model: the governing and financial track (Council — Vice-Chancellor — Vice-Presidents) runs parallel to and intersects with the academic track (Senate — Faculties — Departments). The Vice-Chancellor serves as the ex officio junction of both tracks.

# 2. The University of Hong Kong Ordinance (Cap. 1053): The Statutory Framework

HKU is a statutory university created by a specific act of the Hong Kong legislature.

• Its legal foundation is Cap. 1053, the University of Hong Kong Ordinance^※; beneath the Ordinance are the Statutes, and beneath the Statutes are Regulations made by the Council and the Senate.
• The Ordinance empowers the making of Statutes that prescribe important constitutional and procedural matters, and authorises the Council and Senate to make Regulations for the day-to-day administration of the University^※.

# The Three Statutory Bodies Defined by the Ordinance

# 3. Principal Office-Holders (at the time of compilation, 2026)

For the current holders of the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Vice-President, and other roles, see ../06-people/ (Profiles).

# 4. Complete List of Successive Vice-Chancellors / Presidents

Sourced from the HKU Calendar "Succession Lists". The title was Vice-Chancellor from 1912 to 2002; in recent years it has been jointly styled President & Vice-Chancellor. Chinese names of ethnically Chinese Vice-Chancellors are noted in parentheses (a neutral factual record, per guideline 00-12).

# 5. Chancellors Through the Years

Before the handover, the Governor of Hong Kong served ex officio; after the handover, the role passed to the Chief Executive.

For the complete list of Chancellors (every Governor and Chief Executive in turn), see the HKU Calendar Succession Lists^※.

# 6. Chairmen of the Council in Recent Years

# 7. Convocation

• The Convocation is a statutory body provided for in the Ordinance, composed of all graduates of the University^※. It elects representatives to the Council and other bodies, providing a statutory channel for alumni participation in governance.
• For details on its functions, elections, and recent issues surrounding alumni seats on the Council, see ../06-people/ and ../07-student-life/.

# Unconfirmed / To Be Verified

• Exact start and end months for each Vice-Chancellor: The Calendar's "Succession Lists" are generally recorded by year only. Month-level precision would require consulting each appointee's inauguration notice; this article notes terms by year.
• The current membership numbers and ratios of the Court and the Council: These change with amendments to the Statutes. This article only describes their statutory roles; for current specific membership figures, refer to the current Cap. 1053 Statutes^※.