CUHK eNews March 2026

A night of shared journeys: CUHK and UCEAP celebrate 60 years of exchange

CUHK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dennis Lo and UCEAP Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director Dr. Dan Waite celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the CUHK-UCEAP partnership with senior leaders and alumni from both institutions.

CUHK Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dennis Lo (3rd left, front) and UCEAP Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director Dr. Dan Waite (4th left, front) celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the CUHK-UCEAP partnership with senior leaders and alumni from both institutions.

The APAIE 2026 Conference and Exhibition provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate a milestone: 60 years of partnership between CUHK and the University of California Education Abroad Programme (UCEAP).

Since its first exchange in 1965, more than 2,100 students have crossed the Pacific, each returning with fresh perspectives, enduring friendships, and new directions for their lives. Many alumni often share the lasting ways those semesters abroad reshaped them, describing the profound personal growth that comes only from navigating daily life in another culture.

The programme’s lasting impact is exemplified by Mr. Danny Chan, one of its earliest participants. In 1968, after graduating from CUHK’s United College, he sailed to the US, earned an MSc at the University of California, Los Angeles, and built a successful career in banking. Later, he co-founded the acclaimed Yangshuo Sugar House Hotel, a project that still quietly honours his international roots by hosting alumni gatherings to this day.

Mr. Danny Chan shares his inspiring story after receiving the UCEAP Global Impact and Excellence Award.

Mr. Danny Chan shares his inspiring story after receiving the UCEAP Global Impact and Excellence Award.

As conversations flowed and glasses were raised, the atmosphere stayed warmly reflective yet forward-looking. The partnership has proven resilient through 60 years of changing times and shifting borders. It now stands poised for the decades ahead, welcoming new cohorts of students, sparking fresh collaborations, and upholding the simple yet powerful promise that time spent studying across an ocean can transform a life.

Prof. Dennis Lo and Dr. Dan Waite renew the long-standing student exchange Memorandum of Understanding, reinforcing a partnership that continues to create opportunities across generations.

Prof. Dennis Lo (right) and Dr. Dan Waite (left) renew the long-standing student exchange Memorandum of Understanding, reinforcing a partnership that continues to create opportunities across generations.