UM Honours College admits 50 new members

The University of Macau (UM) Honours College (HC) today (9 September) held an admission ceremony to welcome 50 new students, all of whom are top student leaders drawn from 20 programmes offered by six faculties. The students will have the opportunity to develop their potential and leaderships skills through various training courses and activities offered by the HC.

At the admission ceremony, UM University Council Chair Dr Lam Kam Seng and Rector Wei Zhao presented admission certificates to the 50 new students. In his speech, HC Dean Prof Mok Kai Meng said that students from different faculties are united in diversity at the Honours College to develop their potential and leadership skills. Prof Mok noted that half of the previous cohort of HC graduates had chosen to pursue further studies at UM or other renowned universities, including the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in mainland China, the University of Hong Kong, the University of Melbourne in Australia, Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich in Germany, the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the University of York, the University of Edinburgh, the University for the Creative Arts in the UK, the University of Lisbon in Portugal, as well as Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Duke University, Fordham University, Lehigh University, and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the US. He added that some graduates had received offers from local or multinational companies in various industries, including accounting, finance, banking, engineering, information technology, and leisure and tourism.

On the same evening, the HC received a Chinese calligraphic work by Dr Ambrose So, a renowned calligraphist and recipient of an honorary doctorate from UM. The ceremony was officiated by Dr Lam, Rector Zhao, Prof Mok, and Dr So. Dr So said in his speech, ‘Under the vision of Rector Wei Zhao and the leadership of Dean Mok, the HC has been growing from strength to strength, dedicated to the nurturing of future leaders for society, and the results are very encouraging.  Honour seeks excellence.  Honour is also a sense of pride in integrity and responsibility – this is where leadership is fostered, and its success lies with one’s perseverance in lifelong learning.’  Dr So urged the students to actively participate in extracurricular and student activities, to gain more experience and exposure and make themselves better equipped for entry into the workforce to serve the needs of society. He also said to the students, ‘Be a leader and a lifelong learner, making yourself a pride of the university and Macao’s society.’

Established in 2009, the HC is dedicated to nurturing outstanding undergraduate students into future leaders. This year, 50 new members were selected from over 140 candidates.  The three-year Honours Programme will provide the students with leadership training courses and offer them access to the best research programme and creative activities.  In addition, students will have the opportunity to study abroad at esteemed universities for one semester to gain comparative perspective on the disciplines they study, and to develop international understanding and cultural fluency.