Below shows the birth chart of his tenure:
Two of the most frequently cited criticisms against him are: He does not speak Chinese and his academic standing is not "good enough" to be HKU's head, especially compared with his predecessor Lap-chee Tsui who is a world-renowned geneticist.
These
two points are strongly reflected in the chart, with a Mercury-Chiron
conjunction across the 10th and 11th houses - a sore
point in the vice-chancellorship: Mercury refers to intellectual ability,
including academic and linguistic capabilities. Chiron means "hurts" that can
never fully be remedied, almost like some "inborn deficiencies". When Mercury
and Chiron are combined, it suggests an "incurable intellectual wound", as it
is always rejected by others, despite whatever efforts the individual may put
in to gain acceptance for his intellectual ability. When all attempts to gain
recognition have been proved futile, the individual would, hopefully,
eventually learn to cherish the uniqueness of his own intellectual
achievements, rather than trying to seek outer approval. This would release a
tremendously healing energy.
Another
creative way of handling this Mercury-Chiron conjunction is, like what
Mathieson himself has said, to listen more. So rather than doing the talking
himself, he could let others do it, fitting in very well with the essentially reticent
nature of a Mercury-Chiron conjunction (in the withdrawn, gentle sign of Pisces!).
(Source: HKU website)
However,
the dominant theme of the tenure chart is undoubtedly the T-square: Jupiter in
Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn across the 2nd-8th
houses, with the Sun-Uranus conjunction in Aries in the 11th house at
the apex. This is an explosive configuration and the Sun's placement in this
bunch of social and transpersonal planets means that Mathieson's tenure is likely
to be a very high profile one, whether he wills it or not, as it is driven by
forces beyond personal control. His leadership position is especially prominent
among groups (like students' associations?) and in Hong Kong’s larger social
and political context. In fact, this high "visibility" of the tenure seems to
be the result of an ambitious drive to expand the university's resources
(Jupiter in 2nd) and an intense fear of "infiltration" from external
sources (Pluto in 8th).
The overall feel of the T-square suggests, given the need to expand on one hand and the fear of control (and even "abuse") from others on the other, the tenure would be marked by a highly unorthodox and non-conforming leadership style (almost "rebellious") in social and political issues - to manifest the pride that the HKU community feels of itself! (the Sun rules the Leo IC)
However, despite all the independent-mindedness shown in the chart, I don't think Mathieson's leadership would be as overbearing or aggressive as suggested, for Mars, which rules Aries where the Sun and Uranus (and the Moon) fall, is weakly placed - in Libra and is retrograde. This could suggest indecision when assertiveness or competiveness is called for - and actions are only most readily taken when balance and justice have to be restored. Moreover, the 10th house (i.e. the public image) is also occupied by Venus in Aquarius and Neptune in Pisces – and both planets are known for their "softness".
In response to some senior staff who had openly declared he was not good enough for the job, Mathieson pledged he would "strive to convince them that I am worthy of the position". The chart does show this to be another theme in his tenure: Venus' placement in the 10th usually indicates a very popular leader - but in this case, the planet also squares Saturn in the 6th, showing exactly his strong urge to PROVE his worth to colleagues. In fact, staff relations are likely to be the area that he would need to work the hardest over, and so is the red tape. As Saturn is in Scorpio in the 6th, eventually there could be a streamlining of administrative procedures and structures. How much effort he puts into this area would have a significant impact on his public standing (Saturn co-rules the Aquarian MC) and whether the university, in his own words, can "reach new heights" (Saturn also rules the 9th in Capricorn). But in any case, with Saturn in Scorpio in the 6th, he definitely would need to work extremely hard indeed. No wonder he said he would work "tirelessly"!
Some people may prefer universities not to get involved in the whirlwind of politics - but judging from Hong Kong’s chart, that doesn't seem to be possible.
The overall feel of the T-square suggests, given the need to expand on one hand and the fear of control (and even "abuse") from others on the other, the tenure would be marked by a highly unorthodox and non-conforming leadership style (almost "rebellious") in social and political issues - to manifest the pride that the HKU community feels of itself! (the Sun rules the Leo IC)
However, despite all the independent-mindedness shown in the chart, I don't think Mathieson's leadership would be as overbearing or aggressive as suggested, for Mars, which rules Aries where the Sun and Uranus (and the Moon) fall, is weakly placed - in Libra and is retrograde. This could suggest indecision when assertiveness or competiveness is called for - and actions are only most readily taken when balance and justice have to be restored. Moreover, the 10th house (i.e. the public image) is also occupied by Venus in Aquarius and Neptune in Pisces – and both planets are known for their "softness".
In response to some senior staff who had openly declared he was not good enough for the job, Mathieson pledged he would "strive to convince them that I am worthy of the position". The chart does show this to be another theme in his tenure: Venus' placement in the 10th usually indicates a very popular leader - but in this case, the planet also squares Saturn in the 6th, showing exactly his strong urge to PROVE his worth to colleagues. In fact, staff relations are likely to be the area that he would need to work the hardest over, and so is the red tape. As Saturn is in Scorpio in the 6th, eventually there could be a streamlining of administrative procedures and structures. How much effort he puts into this area would have a significant impact on his public standing (Saturn co-rules the Aquarian MC) and whether the university, in his own words, can "reach new heights" (Saturn also rules the 9th in Capricorn). But in any case, with Saturn in Scorpio in the 6th, he definitely would need to work extremely hard indeed. No wonder he said he would work "tirelessly"!
Some people may prefer universities not to get involved in the whirlwind of politics - but judging from Hong Kong’s chart, that doesn't seem to be possible.
Hong
Kong's higher education sector is represented by the 9th house in
Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter in Aquarius in the 11th - literally meaning
that higher education is intertwined with the city's social and political situation.
Expansion of the sector is closely linked to the urge to explore more about social egalitarian
concepts or technological innovations for society. This also implies social research or
research that involves hi-tech is favoured - but this conflicts with the need
of the Hong Kong community to feel fiscally secure, for it would need to be sure
that public money is well-spent and can produce something tangible! (Moon in Taurus
in 2nd house squares Jupiter in 11th)
Academic freedom has been the talk of town recently, as there seems to be a tightening up. This is indicated by the square that transiting Saturn is making with Hong Kong’s Jupiter in January, April to May and September to October this year. Actually, this reflects the deep insecurities (hence resistance) that the Hong Kong community has about a full merging with the Mainland, as Saturn is transiting Hong Kong’s 8th house and this transit won't end until December 2015…
Academic freedom has been the talk of town recently, as there seems to be a tightening up. This is indicated by the square that transiting Saturn is making with Hong Kong’s Jupiter in January, April to May and September to October this year. Actually, this reflects the deep insecurities (hence resistance) that the Hong Kong community has about a full merging with the Mainland, as Saturn is transiting Hong Kong’s 8th house and this transit won't end until December 2015…
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