Tony Chan’s speech at the

9th KAUST Commencement ceremony

Dec 14, 2018

Tony Chan

Thank you, His Excellency Khalid Al-Falih, for your introduction. And congratulations to His Excellency Ali Al-Naimi for being honored with our University’s first Honorary Doctorate. Given his key role in the founding of the University, it is a most deserving honor. Welcome to our Board members, graduates and their families and friends, faculty and other members of the KAUST community, guests who have come from near and far for this event, ladies and gentlemen. As-Salamu Alaykum!

It’s a great honor for me to participate in this graduation ceremony and to be honored with my inauguration. Mind you, it is not the first time I have attended KAUST’s Commencement ceremony. I have been a KAUST Board member since 2011 and I have attended all but one of our Commencement ceremonies since then. But this time is special, first because of you, our graduates, and also because it is my first time attending as KAUST President.

My journey to KAUST started in 2008 when I was working at the US National Science Foundation and hosted a visit by a delegation from KAUST led by our first President Professor Shih. I learned about this bold new academic venture in Saudi Arabia. I visited the campus for the first time on Sept 23, 2009, on the occasion of the University’s inauguration. The memory of the spectacle is still vivid in my mind.

But more importantly, I was captivated by the vision of the University, that of reviving the Islamic golden age of knowledge from a thousand years ago, and building a modern day “Bayt Al-Hikma”, or House of Wisdom, where the brightest minds from around the world would be recruited to work on whatever topics they chose, to contribute to knowledge for the world. It would also have the dual mission to contribute to the economic development of the Kingdom. What a grand vision! This vision is what attracted many of the KAUST community who have chosen to be part of King Abdullah’s dream.

Historically, the Arab world was one of the world’s major civilizations and leading economies and KAUST is nothing short of an attempt to reinvigorate that great tradition.

So when the KAUST presidential search committee came calling about a year ago, in their quest of finding someone to replace KAUST’s second president, Professor Jean-Lou Chameau, I was flattered and threw my hat in the ring. The rest is history as the saying goes! Jean-Lou, by the way, is here tonight with his wife Carol as my guests.

KAUST has accomplished a lot since 2009. Not only do we have a beautiful campus we have also succeeded in recruiting outstanding faculty and students, who have already made a name for themselves. Within the global academic world, our University has earned the recognition, and respect, of our peers. Our graduates, still relatively small in number, have not only gone on to great careers, but some of them have joined companies, while others have become faculty members in universities inside the Kingdom. others have started companies of their own, often based on technologies developed at KAUST. Thus, through them, the vision of KAUST is slowly but surely being realized.

Therefore, I feel particularly proud and humbled to be asked to serve as our University’s president, only the third in its relatively short history. Little did I know, when I attended our University’s inauguration almost a decade ago, that I’d be given the honor, and the responsibility, to lead this great institution.

Personally, I have gone from a boy who grew up in Hong Kong, to being educated and making a career in the US, to being president of an outstanding young university in HK/China, to now leading a unique university with a bold vision in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Life is an adventure and I feel privileged. I am determined to give my best, to work with everyone here, to take this University to the next level, and to realize its promise and potential.

A millennium ago, Arab merchants established trade along the south China coast. The Abbasid Caliphate and China were among the world’s most advanced civilizations, not only in terms of their economies, but also in the arts, and in science and technology. I feel that I am making a small contribution in the historic “balance of trade” between these two civilizations.

My wife Monica, who is here this evening, and I have been on this campus for just over three months. We have met many people and they have made us feel very welcome. It has also made us feel that I am not just taking a new job but we are together joining a community.

A community that is still young but has achieved beyond its youth.

A community that is small but has a large footprint.

A community that is international but has strong roots in the Kingdom.

A community that is built on a bold vision but has its feet on the ground.

We are heading into our second decade, with a track record to show the world.

We still have room to grow, in the number of faculty and students, and in our achievements and reputation.

We want to engage with the best around the world and also with important stakeholders within the Kingdom. I believe they are also eager to engage with us.

We aim for our research and graduates to have around the world and to contribute to the economy of the Kingdom. This will take time, but we must redouble our efforts.

There is no better time for KAUST to fully achieve its mission.

Our financial situation is strong and our infrastructure is second to none.

We have recruited talented faculty, students and staff.

The country is going through transformational changes, both economically and culturally, and KAUST’s mission is perfectly aligned with this movement.

Our challenge is how to meet the high expectations.

I am privileged and honored to be given this opportunity to lead this great institution into its second decade, poised to realize its founding vision and make a mark in the world.

I thank the Board of Trustees for their confidence in me and for their current and future support. I thank the KAUST community for their warm welcome. I thank my KAUST colleagues and students for their willingness to work with me in our collective endeavor.

To reach our dream, we need every one of us to contribute, to put minor differences aside, and to work towards our common goal.

As the saying goes: “ we stand, divided we fall.”

So let’s work together – we have our work cut out for us.

Thank you.