UM awards graduation certificates to postgraduates
The University of Macau (UM) today (1 December) held the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary and Higher Degrees 2018. This year, more than 800 students from PhD degree programmes, master’s degree programmes, and postgraduate diploma/certificate programmes received graduation certificates. At the ceremony, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Tam Chon Weng, acting as the representative of the Macao SAR Chief Executive and UM Chancellor Chui Sai On, said that the Macao SAR government will continue to support the university’s development. He encouraged the graduates to play an active part in the development of the Greater Bay Area and create their own success stories.
Tam said, ‘Students here are provided with an ideal learning environment which is made possible by the presence of top-notch teaching and research staff, state-of-the-art facilities and a beautiful and modern campus. This year, the relentless efforts made by the university have paid off. Significant progress has been made on various fronts, such as nurturing innovative and entrepreneurial talent, training Portuguese-speaking professionals, undertaking research and studies on the constitution, the Basic Law, and the “One country, Two Systems” principle, as well as partaking in scientific collaborative projects in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and under the Belt and Road initiative. It is noteworthy that the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City has been established to provide support to Macao’s development into a smart city and its integration into the Greater Bay Area.’
Tam added, ‘The Macao SAR government will continue to support the university’s efforts in optimising the learning environment, pursuing teaching and research excellence, and reinforcing whole-person education. The government will also encourage the university to do well in scientific and technological innovation, talent nurturing, as well as to participate actively in key national initiatives. Support will be provided to help the university strengthen basic and applied research, and advance the integration of industry, academia and research. All these efforts will enable the university to make further contributions to the sustainable development of Macao and the nation. As China is on the threshold of a new era of reform and opening-up, the development of the Greater Bay Area is in full swing and is bringing the younger generation unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Young people in Macao, Hong Kong and the mainland should seize these opportunities to strengthen cooperation, get to know more about and play an active part in the Greater Bay Area development.’
UM Rector Yonghua Song said: ‘Looking ahead, the university will make further progress by leveraging its current momentum in teaching, research, technology transfer and international exchange. Against the backdrop of the deepening reform and opening-up of China, the university will bring together talents of different professions to carry out cross-disciplinary and multi-area cooperation. New development strategies will be formulated to develop the strengths of the university so as to further its growth, enabling teaching staff and students to gain more benefits from local, national and global development. These measures will help the university gain a solid standing in Macao, integrate into the Greater Bay Area and relate to the nation and beyond.’
Rector Song added, ‘Exciting opportunities are here and now for young people in view of Macao’s distinctive positioning as “One Centre, One Platform, One Base”, the steady progress made for the Greater Bay Area, the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the immense job market and the drive for innovation and entrepreneurship in the mainland. Against such a backdrop, the mobility of high-end talents will be greater than ever as there is burgeoning demand from various sectors. I believe that all these new opportunities could brighten up your career prospects.’
Wang Jiteng, representative of the graduates, delivered a speech to thank the professors and family members, especially parents, for their support. He said, ‘I never thought that I had the ability to organise international academic activities. In two years, my team and I organised exchange programmes and paid regular academic visits to Peking University, Waseda University, and the National University of Singapore.’ He added, ‘UM helps me to get out of my comfort zone and share my thoughts. In our free time, we are also encouraged to serve the community. Through my experiences as a volunteer, UM enriched my life and taught me that a well-rounded person not only has academic success but also undertakes social responsibility. UM helps its students become global citizens that actively undertake social responsibility and contribute to the community.’
This year, a total of 876 students from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, received their graduation certificates. Among these students, 142 are from PhD degree programmes, 650 are from master’s degree programmes, and 84 are from postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes.
