Tuan, who oversaw the university as it climbed up international rankings of tertiary institutions but also became embroiled in controversy, submitted his resignation letter to the council’s chairman on Monday.

The move was highly unusual as Tuan, who took up the top job in 2018, began his new term on January 1, but he said he would stay on in the role for one year to “ensure a smooth transition”.

“Serving the CUHK community has been an extraordinary honour and a privilege,” he said. “Hong Kong is my home. It was humbling to be given the opportunity to return here and be entrusted with the noble responsibility to deliver the core mission of this great institution.”

The university said it was grateful to Tuan for his leadership and six years of dedicated service. The governing body would establish a committee, comprising the council chairman and six other members nominated by the body and the senate, to advise on the appointment of Tuan’s successor, CUHK said.

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The 72-year-old professor had come under fire in recent months as lawmakers moved to overhaul the governing council by increasing the number of external members and the voting threshold for approving the appointment of the vice-chancellor. The council’s size was also cut from 55 members to 34.

Tuan refused to attend any Legislative Council meetings about the amendment, citing illness.

A month after the overhaul was passed, vice-president Eric Ng Shu-pui, who signed a petition against the restructuring proposal and was accused of sending out a meeting agenda without the chairman’s consent, was fired with immediate effect.

Lawmakers Edward Lau Kwok-fan and Bill Tang Ka-piu, who introduced the private bill along with Tommy Cheung Yu-yan in 2022, declined to comment on Tuan’s resignation but said they would hold a press conference on Wednesday.

Calls for reform of the management structures of universities go back to a 2002 government report that suggested smaller governing bodies would be more effective, citing a British report that recommended an optimal size of 25 members.

Other government-funded universities in Hong Kong went ahead with reforms. According to documents prepared by Tang, City University now has the smallest council with 23 members, while the University of Hong Kong has 24. Baptist University and Lingnan University have 35 and 34, respectively.

Hongkonger Tuan was accused of being too sympathetic to student protesters in 2019 when he met them on campus and issued an open letter that listed alleged police abuses, as well as called on the government to carry out an independent investigation into the claims.

The move was condemned by the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece and police groups, who accused the university of being “a hub of anti-China and pro-Hong Kong independence forces”.

Despite the controversies, the governing council reappointed Tuan in April 2022.

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Under Tuan’s leadership, the university’s prestige grew. It placed sixth in the region in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings last year, its best performance on record.

It placed 38th in the QS World University Rankings in 2023, its highest ranking in a decade, but dropped to 47th this year.

He also oversaw the establishment of a CUHK medical school in Shenzhen aimed at strengthening Hong Kong’s role in providing high-quality medical services and education in the Greater Bay Area that links 11 cities in the south.

Political commentator Lau Siu-kai, an emeritus professor of sociology at Chinese University, said the resignation of Tuan suggested he was unable to work with the new council and its greater number of external members, including some who were dissatisfied with how Tuan handled events in 2019.

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“This also showed that in order to become leaders of top universities in Hong Kong, the person not only has to be good academically, but also he or she needs to be equipped with enough political wisdom to communicate with the government, the lawmakers and all other stakeholders,” Lau said. “The political atmosphere is completely different now and only getting supporters from within the university is not enough.”

The Education Bureau praised Tuan, saying the university had continued to innovate in scientific research and provide outstanding talent for companies during his tenure.

“The government believes that the university council will make appropriate arrangements for the appointment of the new president based on the long-term interests and development needs of the university, [and] to provide high-quality education and cultivate outstanding talents for Hong Kong and the country,” a spokesman said.

Tim Lui Tim-leung, chairman of the University Grants Committee that allocates government money to eight institutions, expressed respect for Tuan’s decision and commended the university for its academic achievements under his stewardship.

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