Earlier the University of Macau (UM) carried out the challenging task of relocating to the new campus. The relocation was conducted in stages, and now it is finally complete. Next Monday (25 August) will be the first day of the new academic year. As UM members are getting ready to embrace a new chapter in the university’s history, they are also saying goodbye to the old campus today.
UM started large-scale relocation to the new campus in the summer holiday. Now, all the academic and administrative units have completed their relocation and resumed normal operations, except for the Centre for Macau Studies, Centre for Continuing Education, and Centre for Engineering Research and Testing, which will continue operating at the University of Macau Town Centre on the old campus. To celebrate this important milestone in campus development, UM held a Goodbye Old Campus Ceremony today in the small terraced garden on the old campus. Many distinguished guests attended the event, including Dr Lam Kam Seng, current chair of the University Council; Dr Tse Chi Wai, immediate past chair of the University Council; Dr Wong King Keung, co-founder of the University of East Asia (UM’s predecessor); Prof Zhou Ligao and Prof Iu Vai Pan, former rectors of UM; Prof Wei Zhao, current rector of UM; as well as students, faculty members, current staff, retired staff, and alumni.
In his speech Rector Wei Zhao noted that UM’s founding inaugurated western-style higher education in Macao, and over the past more than 30 years, UM has produced a large number of outstanding graduates for Macao and the world. UM has a fine tradition and a rich cultural heritage. UM members will always remember their experiences on the old campus, and will carry forward the UM spirit and build on the good foundation achieved on the old campus in order to develop UM into a world-class university.
At the Goodbye Old Campus Ceremony, Lam Kam Seng, Tse Chi Wai, Wong King Keung, Zhou Ligao, Iu Vai Pan, and Wei Zhao jointly unveiled the two plaques depicting “the history of relocation” and “the plans of the old campuses”, which had been erected in the small terraced garden in Tai Fung Building to commemorate UM’s campus development. The words on the new plaque depicting the history of UM’s relocation were written by Dr Tse Chi Wai. The plaque introduces the key milestones in UM’s history since its founding, including the private University of East Asia’ renaming into University of Macau, the restructuring of the University Council, the revision of the Charter, the central government’s approval of the new campus, and the important role of the new campus on higher education development in Macao.
The Goodbye Old Campus Ceremony also included a part called “Relocation of the Turtles”, in which officiating guests received from student representatives the Brazilian sliders which had lived on the old campus for many years and then put the turtles in a fish tank for the keeper to bring to the new campus. This ceremony signifies the successful completion of UM’s relocation to the new campus and also conveys the wish that all UM members will work in solidarity to achieve the common goal of making UM more successful in the future.
A fourth-year Chinese major from the Faculty of Education said that she had lived on the old campus for three years, which were filled with beautiful memories. She felt a strong attachment to the old campus, but she believes that the excellent environment and facilities on the new campus will make her university more colourful.
UM’s new contact information is as follows: New address: Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau, China. New contact number: 88228833. New fax number: 88228822. Also, the library on the old campus has been renamed “University of Macau Town Centre”. Some of the evening courses and continuing education courses will be conducted there.
Should you have any inquiries about the press release, please feel free to contact Ms. Albee Lei and Ms. Kristy Fok at（853）8822 8004 orprs.media@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.
