HKUST Annual Report 2021-2022

$ 93M Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships Totaling 17 HKUST Annual Report 2021-2022 Learning for Life positively impact the community and support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In total, 98 projects were launched, including five student-led initiatives. Endeavors ranged from community service to action plans for social good. The return of activity on the sports front following COVID-19 restrictions allowed student sports leaders to undertake a comprehensive training program in summer 2021, going on to form a group of sports tutors to put project ideas into action. These included a series of “Experience Sports Workshops” in 12 sports, including dodgeball, fencing, and karate, as part of official orientation happenings to welcome new students. The University’s athletes also made exceptional efforts to train and compete, despite intermittent suspensions of such activities due to the pandemic. A total of 35 sports teams participated in 20 inter-varsity sports competitions over the year, taking home multiple awards. SUPPORTING STUDENTS’ STUDIES AND WELL-BEING Scholarships totaling around $93 million were awarded to outstanding HKUST undergraduates and postgraduates in recognition of a diverse range of talents, an increase of 10% year on year. A total of $9.6 million in bursaries and loans were also extended to students who needed support to alleviate financial pressure or tide them over unforeseen emergencies. Among new scholarship initiatives, the HKUST RedBird PhD Award Scheme was enhanced to include a recruitment award for top PhD students, including Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) awardees, and an academic excellence award for current PhD students with outstanding academic performance. Over 400 new and current PhD students received RedBird awards in 2021-22. In addition, 80 HKPFS recipients were admitted to HKUST, the highest number among the eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded institutions. As the number of research postgraduate students continue to increase at HKUST and to create an open and encouraging environment for exchange among students from different disciplines, a Research Postgraduate Hub (RPg Hub) was established in mid- 2022. In its first phase, the RPg Hub encompasses office space, meeting areas, and over 250 desk spaces.  Given the pandemic continued to add to the challenges of students’ lives, counseling support was strengthened and a total of 5,336 (+18%) personal counseling sessions were conducted through flexible counseling platforms in 2021-22. In peer-to-peer support, the Peer Companion Training Program was scaled up from 70 members to 139 (+98.5%), while about 1,000 students have now joined the Online Peer Support Network to mingle, connect with others, gain peer support, and raise awareness of mental wellness. Animals have also proved effective in easing stress, with over 600 students benefiting from therapy dog sessions in Fall 2021. Meanwhile, activities to raise awareness of those with special educational needs (SEN) and to promote diversity led to the large-scale HKUST x Dustykid “Be a Star” Exhibition and the SEN Festival on campus.