香港大學校委會今日（27日）下午召開會議，審議北京清華大學工業工程系主任申作軍，以及清華地球系統科學系主任宮鵬的副校長任命事宜。至晚上8時許港大宣布，委任申作軍教授為副校長（研究），宮鵬教授為副校長（學術發展）。其中申作軍近日被質疑為中共黨員，引起社會關注。據了解，申作軍在今日的校委會會議上，透過聲明澄清並非「黨委」，在清華大學中的職位只是「名譽」性質，沒有負責任何日常運作，更指相關問題是由於網站管理員疏忽（an oversight by the webmaster），他已立即聯繫清華大學，並糾正有關問題。港大校委會主席李國章就指，校委會對有關兩位教授對其背景的澄清表示滿意，認為所有指控皆不成立。

稱每年只有數周在清華大學工作

根據港大資料，申作軍現爲加州大學柏克萊分校校長教授及工業工程及運籌學系系主任，以及土木與環境工程系教授。他同時出任清華大學名譽教授及工業工程系主任。然而近日被揭清華校網原顯示申作軍身兼該學系的「系黨委」黨委委員，校方卻又突然刪除其黨委資訊，引來社會關注。

在今日港大校委會的會議上，申作軍透過聲明澄清並非「黨委」。他稱於清華大學畢業後，赴美升學，其後於加州大學柏克萊分校工作。然而因母親健康狀況惡化，故他每年夏天亦會返回中國照顧母親。

而在中國的時候，則與清華大學合作，其後獲清華大學邀請擔任名譽教授和系主任，在獲全職僱主加州大學柏克萊分校批准後，他於2014年起每年於清華大學工作數個星期，主要職責包括提供國際合作的建議，並保持積極、開放和自由的學習與研究環境，惟不包括部門的實際日常運作。

從港媒報道才得悉

申作軍強調自己從來不是黨委，亦沒有成為黨委的資格，他亦是自本港傳媒報道後才得悉事件，令他感到震驚。他認為事件是有關網頁的網站管理員疏忽，故立即聯絡清華大學，他們亦已糾正問題。

港大校委會主席李國章亦發表聲明指，遴選工作經由全球物色適當的人選，審視和諮詢過程詳盡嚴謹，唯一的目的是為大學招攬最優秀的人才擔任領導職務。三位獲任命的教授，都是具國際聲譽，在其學術領域表現卓越的優秀學者。

聲明又稱，由於近期就兩位副校長人選的背景有諸多傳聞和猜測，兩位教授特意作出澄清，包括候任副校長（研究）申作軍表明他不是共產黨員，也不是黨委成員。校委會對兩位教授的澄清表示滿意，認為所有指控皆不成立。

申作軍自述全文：

Thanks for giving me this opportunity to clarify some possible misunderstanding about my employment history.

As you know, I am currently a full-time professor and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at UC Berkeley.  I am also an honorary professor and department chair at Tsinghua University.   The Chair at Berkeley is “real”, while the chair at Tsinghua is only an honorary one.  I am not the real boss at Tsinghua.  Let me explain further as to how this arrangement came about and works.

I graduated from Tsinghua in 1996.  I immediately went to my graduate study at Northwestern University in the US.  I got my PhD in 2000 and started my academic career at the University of Florida.  In 2004, I moved to UC Berkeley where I worked very hard and got my tenure in 2007.  I was promoted from associate professor to full professor in just 3 years, in 2010.  That year, the health of my 83 years old mom deteriorated, so I started to go back to China every summer to take care of her.

While in China, it was only natural for me to start collaborating with the IE department at Tsinghua University.  The department’s first head was a chair professor Dr. Gabriel Salvendy, who was a full-time professor at Purdue University when he was appointed.  When Dr. Salvendy stepped down, Tsinghua offered the position to me.  I sought approval from UC Berkeley, my full-time employer, and was granted permission to take on the honorary professorship and department chair at Tsinghua in 2014.  My honorary position at Tsinghua means that I only need to work there for a few weeks every year.  My main responsibilities include providing advice on international collaborations and maintaining an active, open, as well as free learning and research environment.  The actual day-to-day running of the department was, however, managed by the department’s local leadership, not me.

A standard process at Tsinghua was to assign the department chair to be on the party committee （党委）.  Not surprisingly, therefore, the secretary of the department automatically put my name on the party committee even though I am not a party member; I’ve never been one, and I am not qualified to be on the party committee （党委）.  Unfortunately, I did not know about this until the Hong Kong media reports revealed it last weekend.

I was shocked and stunned by the media reports… The truth, however, is that I am a US Citizen and I have obtained permission from Berkeley every year to work in Tsinghua.

Unfortunate as the mis-guided media reports may have been, they have allowed me to gain a better understanding of Hong Kong as well as your concerns.  There is absolutely nothing to hide and I am a strong believer in academic freedom.  Being a scholar, I am committed, like you, to upholding the truth, while respecting different views and opinions in society.

Although this incident has caused me a lot of stress, I don’t want to lay blame on anyone.  I only want you to get the facts and set the record straight.  Thank you for your time.’

申作軍聲明：

In the light of the recent news reports on my background, I would like to make a clarification as below.

I have been working full time at UC Berkeley starting from 2004 and my appointment in Tsinghua is only honorary with approval from Berkeley. Being the honorary department chair, I only spend a few weeks every year in Tsinghua and do not participate in the daily operations of the department. I am not a member of the Chinese Communist Party and I am also not in the party committee as claimed by the reports. It was an oversight by the webmaster of the respective website.

After I read the reports I immediately contacted Tsinghua and they have rectified all information about me on their websites. I later found out the error started several years ago when I, as the department chair, was mistakenly assigned to the party committee.

I hope this clarification can clear all misunderstandings between us.