The International Food Festival is very well received
The University of Macau (UM) today held an Open Day on the new campus, attracting more than 8,000 people. This is UM’s first Open Day held on the new campus. Many middle school students and their parents visited the various faculties and residential colleges, where they got a taste of UM students’ campus lives and inquired after courses that interested them. Some people came with their families to sample food from around the world at the International Food Festival and watched student performances. ‘For those who are interested to apply to UM after graduation, the Open Day provides a great opportunity for them to know more about the campus and the university,’ said a teacher from Pui Ching Middle School who is also an alumna of UM. ‘I’m so happy for UM’s progress in recent years. The bigger campus and the advanced facilities will no doubt benefit future students and will help to foster a greater sense of belonging among the students.’ Many people came with their families. ‘We love the serene atmosphere of the campus,’ exclaimed a couple attending the Open Day. ‘Just looking at the green lake quiets our mind and makes us feel peaceful. We often come here for bicycling, to breathe the fresh air. This is the kind of environment that is conducive to learning, and I hope my children will be able to study at UM in the future.’ Another visitor in the Student Activity Centre was impressed by the international mix in the student body. ‘UM has attracted students from around the world, and it’s nice to experience different cultures on the campus. It makes the campus more vibrant,’ she said. The opening ceremony was held at 11:00 in the morning. Officiating guests at the ceremony included Lam Kam Seng, chair of UM’s University Council; Wei Zhao, rector of UM; Ao Peng Kong, president of the General Assembly of UM Alumni Association; Kiang Hao Chi, director general of UM Students’ Union; and Evenlyn Yuan, vice president of UM Postgraduate Association. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Rector Wei Zhao noted that UM is a university of and for Macao, and that it is open to the public every day. He said that UM hoped to take the Open Day as an opportunity to let people from Macao and the neighbouring regions, including representatives from the education sector, to learn more about the campus and UM’s educational philosophy. He also mentioned that UM received a large number of applications from outstanding local students this year. Of the 329 students accepted through the Principals’ Recommended Admission programme, 39 rank No 1 in their classes or schools, which Rector Zhao believes is an indication of their recognition of UM’s educational philosophy. After the opening ceremony, a group of guests attended the opening ceremony for the Creative Media Lab in the Faculty of Social Sciences, visited the Gaming Laboratory and Trading Room in the Faculty of Business Administration, and sampled food at the International Food Festival in the Student Activity Centre, in the company of UM faculty and staff. In an attempt to showcase academic programmes and students’ campus lives, UM’s various faculties and residential colleges prepared a lot of fun filled activities for the Open Day, including the Blackbox Theatre, stone rubbing, food sampling in the campus dining facilities, Card Production Workshop, lecture on whether cancer is curable, and moot court demonstration, to name but a few. There were also exhibitions, booth games, and student performances. To help the public know more about the campus, UM designed numerous touring routes and options, including campus tours guided by its PR Student Ambassadors.
