Page 6 - 香港浸會大學16-17

1. Introduction to LEWI

1. Introduction to LEWI

David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies (LEWI or the Institute) is a consortium
of 28 universities from North America, Europe and Asia. The Institute, with Hong

Kong Baptist University (HKBU or the University) as the host institution, was
established in 1993 with the aim to promote mutual understanding between East

and West through research, academic exchange and other scholarly activities,
and promote inter-disciplinary research in social sciences and humanities from

the perspectives of both the East and the West.

LEWI was named after Dr. David C. Lam, former Lieutenant-Governor of British
Columbia, Canada, who helped raise funds for the construction of the David C.
Lam Building, where the Institute was housed, and who continued to extend

generous donations to LEWI until he passed away in 2010. Under the leadership

of Mrs Doreen Lau and Mr Philip Lau, his daughter and son-in-law, the David &
Dorothy Lam Foundation of Vancouver, Canada, instituted to commemorate Dr.
and Mrs. Lam, has provided support of all kinds to LEWI and HKBU throughout

the years.

At present, the Director of LEWI is appointed by the President and Vice-
Chancellor and reports duty to the Vice-President (Research and Development)

of the University. In Academic Year (AY) 2011-12, LEWI experienced a major
facelift, with the view to developing into a leading hub in social sciences and

humanities research in East Asia, particularly in the three themes spelled out
below. As an integral part of the restructuring exercise, full time staff was
recruited to join the Institute’s research team. Over the past years, members of

the research team have embarked on a highly active research agenda and
initiated a wide range of projects and activities, including workshops and

conferences, seminars and public lectures, book and/or journal special issue
projects, invitation from world-leading scholars, and forums for academic

exchange. All these have substantially strengthened the research profiles of
LEWI and helped established its place in the international academic arena.

1 HONG KONG BAPTIST UNIVERSITY | David C. Lam Institute for East-West Studies