While celebrating its 40th anniversary, the University of Macau (UM) has set out a development plan for the next five years. As the university prepares to move forward with new ideas and strategies, it is delighted to receive congratulatory messages from the local community, partners, and alumni. Their great expectations will propel the university to, as the anniversary slogan says, ‘set sail for new horizons’.
Exploring a New Path
According to UM Rector Yonghua Song, UM has positioned itself as a university of and for Macao. It will co-develop the Greater Bay Area, integrate into the national development strategy, and increase its degree of internationalisation. In the next five years, UM aims to become an internationally recognised university of excellence through quality student‑centred education, internationally impactful research, and high-quality community service.
Rector Song stressed that the launch of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will create new opportunities for Macao and the university. In the next five years, in order to better support the diversification of Macao’s economy, the university will continue to improve its talent development system, and will cooperate with the Macao SAR government’s education policy by increasing student enrolment and establishing a well‑defined, demand‑driven postgraduate education system. The university will also improve its research strategy with the ‘four threes’ at the core and will continue to build a ‘5-in-1’ technology transfer system, focusing on finding a path for the commercialisation of research results, as well as actively building a social service platform for Macao.
The university will expand its international network in the next five years. Measures toward this end will include deepening long-term partnerships with higher education institutions in Portuguese-and English‑speaking countries, recruiting international students from more countries and regions, and strengthening its partnerships with leading universities in the mainland.
Congratulatory Messages for UM
As the university plans for the future, UM has received many inspiring messages from central government ministries and agencies; the Macao SAR government; the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong; the local community; and institutions of higher learning in Asia, Europe, America, and Africa; as well as from distinguished individuals such Dr Wong King Keung, Dr Woo Pak Hay, and Dr Eng Yuk Lun, the co-founders of the university’s predecessor, the University of East Asia.
Ho Iat Seng, chief executive of the Macao SAR and chancellor of UM, said in his congratulatory letter that UM is the only comprehensive public university in Macao and serves as an important platform for nurturing talent for society. ‘I hope the university will continue to do its best, grasp the opportunities, and capitalise on its strengths, so as to serve the needs of the country and Macao, and to nurture more outstanding graduates who are innovative, creative, patriotic, socially responsible, globally minded, and internationally competitive,’ read the letter.
Fu Ziying, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, sent his best wishes on behalf of himself and Xia Baolong, vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council. ‘I hope that the university will take the 40th anniversary of its founding as a new starting point to earnestly implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important instructions, continue to improve the quality of its education, strive to produce more patriotic graduates, create more achievements in science and technology, and promote the diversification of Macao’s economy and the development of the Greater Bay Area, in order to make a greater contribution to the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy and the economic prosperity and social stability of Macao, ’ read the letter.
In his congratulatory letter, Minister of Science and Technology Wang Zhigang said that over the past four decades, the university has closely followed the development needs of Macao and the country. ‘The Ministry of Science and Technology actively supports the university in playing a more important role in the construction of platforms and bases, in the organisation and implementation of research missions, in the training of scientific and technological talent, and in the commercialisation of research results,’ read the letter.
Partnerships with Universities around the Globe
In his congratulatory letter, He Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: ‘The Chinese Academy of Sciences will continue to attach importance to and support its collaborative projects with the University of Macau, and will continue to deepen research in areas where both sides have complementary strengths, so as to jointly provide strong support for technological innovation in Macao.’ In his congratulatory letter, Xie Fuzhan, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said: ‘We hope to continue to work with the university to promote interdisciplinary research, nurture professionals, better serve the country and Macao, and make new contributions to the stability and success of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy.’
Prof Qiu Yong, president of Tsinghua University, said in his congratulatory letter that the two universities enjoy a deep friendship, and Tsinghua University has sent faculty members to UM since the 1990s, with such exchanges becoming more frequent in the 21st century. ‘May the two universities work together to make greater contributions to higher education development in China and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,’ read the letter. Prof Hao Ping, president of Peking University, said in his congratulatory letter that the two universities have made great achievements in the areas of teacher-student exchange and Basic Law studies, and have formed a deep brotherhood. ‘I sincerely hope that the two universities will uphold their traditions, enhance mutual trust, and deepen collaboration in all areas such as civil servant training and joint training of students,’ read the letter. Prof Zhang Xiang, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, said in his congratulatory letter that the two universities have been working closely together over the years, and have both joined the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance to deepen student exchanges and research collaboration. ‘I look forward to seeing further collaboration between the two universities and to us working together towards a brighter future,’ read the letter.
Prof Alice Gast, president of Imperial College London, said in her congratulatory message that Macao was fighting a challenging year for universities and people around the world in 2021, while the university continued to produce world-class academic results and provide quality education, adding that she looks forward to continued partnership between the two universities. Prof António da Cruz Serra, rector of the University of Lisbon, said in his congratulatory letter: ‘The University of Lisbon has been fully supportive of the development of the university. We are very proud of our collaboration, which has been very fruitful thanks to our historical ties, our language connections, and the unique culture we have shaped together.’
A New Journey towards New Goals
The year 2021 marks not only the 40th anniversary of UM, but also the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan and China’s Vision 2035. Looking ahead, Rector Song says: ‘As Macao integrates with the development of the country and embraces new opportunities, we are confident that with a new mission and a new journey, we will continue to sail after our dreams and attain new achievements.’
Source:
My UM Issue 109
Related link:
