The University of Macau (UM) recently held a UM Family Day to give its students, staff, alumni, and their family members an opportunity to see the new campus before it is fully opened to the public. Approximately 1,000 people participated in the activity. Some alumni said that they appreciated the chance to keep abreast of the alma mater’s latest developments and expressed their confidence that UM would become more and more international in the future.
The Family Day brought together long-lost classmates and friends, who were excited to see each other again after all these years. UM staff brought their parents and children to let them see firsthand their future work environment. Several children rode bikes in the square outside the library, breathless with laughter. Dr. Jonathan Tseung-Hao Chow from the Faculty of Social Sciences said it was his first visit to the new campus library and he liked the design very much. “It is very spacious, and there are more books in the new library, which will be very helpful for academic research,” Dr. Chow said. “The availability of more discussion rooms and study rooms will also benefit the students tremendously.”
Participants tried out the seats in the University Hall. They were very impressed after hearing PR Student Ambassadors explain that all the facilities in the University Hall meet the highest standards for cultural facilities in China, saying that they would definitely want to watch a concert in here in the future. Mr. Wong (transliteration), whose daughter is an alumnus of UM, said excitedly: “The new campus is very modern, and I’m confident that UM will become more and more international in the future.”
Class of 2004 graduates Christopher and Jennifer chimed in: “The Family Day brought us back to the alma mater. We are so happy to see that the university has developed so quickly since we graduated. There is a lot more space on the new campus, which I believe will help to attract more international students and bring more diversity to the campus. Cross-cultural interaction is very important for university students, and the residential colleges will certainly go a long way towards achieving that goal.”
The organisers arranged shuttle bus service on the UM Family Day, as the new campus is not fully open to the public yet. But some participants arrived at the new campus by bus (37U or MT3U) or taxi. Some participants toured the new campus on their own with the aid of a well-designed campus map prepared by the organisers, while others joined the campus tours guided by PR Student Ambassadors. Some even tried out the Food Paradise and the Pacific Coffee on the new campus. The UM Family Day was co-organised by UM’s Communications Office, Human Resources Office, Student Affairs Office, and Alumni and Development Office.
