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| Former Macao governors Garcia Leandro and Carlos Melancia with UM staff and students |
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| Prof. Rui Martins tells Garcia Leandro and Carlos Melancia about the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI |
Former Macao governors Garcia Leandro and Carlos Melancia lately visited the University of Macau (UM). They were impressed with the achievements UM has attained over the past three decades.
The two former Macao governors were warmly received by UM’s Vice Rector (research) Prof. Rui Martins, staff and students. Prof. Martins mentioned the major achievements UM has attained in recent years in teaching and research. He also updated the guests on the planning of the new UM campus. Garcia Leandro and Carlos Melancia were very impressed with UM’s achievements as well as with its perspectives for the future with the new campus on Hengqin Island.
Carlos Melancia said that UM is in the right direction by emphasizing the development of scientific research, because it is one of the important areas for Macao’s future development considering the needed diversification of its economy. Garcia Leandro said that UM’s law programmes in Portuguese combine the knowledge of law and language skills acquisition, and play a very important role in this new phase of Macao by serving as the bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Carlos Melancia is the current president of Fundacao Jorge Alvares. During his stay at UM, he and UM representatives signed a memorandum of understanding concerning the establishment of a prize named "Fundacao Jorge Alvares". Details and regulations about this prize will be further negotiated. The prize is expected to be attributed for the first time in 2011. Afterwards, the two talked with students from the Faculty of Law and the Department of Portuguese and visited the State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI.
Garcia Leandro and Carlos Melancia are both important figures in the history of UM. Garcia Leandro was the first Macao governor after the Portuguese Democratic Revolution in 1974 and he signed the document for the acquisition of the land of UM campus back in the last year of his mandate. Carlos Melancia was the one that decided on the acquisition of the University of East Asia, the predecessor of UM, by Macao Foundation, and during his term he created the Macao Law Programme at UM.
