The University of Macau (UM) held the 2007/2008 Congregation cum Installation of Rector. Over 1,300 graduates were awarded doctoral, master’s, and bachelor’s degrees, as well as postgraduate certificates. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of the Macao SAR, said at the ceremony that, to support the future development of UM, the SAR government will consider allocating more resources as a means for the university to enlarge its scale to accomplish its ten-year development plan.
Ho said in his speech that since the return of Macao to its motherland nine years ago, the Macao SAR government has been exerting great efforts to support the development of Macao’s higher education by granting extensive resources to nurture talent in various fields for the Macao SAR. The Judicial Regime and the Charter of UM have been in place for more than two years. Meanwhile, UM has devised the blueprint of its ten-year development strategy and five-year plan, which proposed reforms in different areas such as teaching quality, research, professional training, community service, and internationalisation. To support the future development of UM, the SAR government will consider allocating more resources as a means for the university to enlarge its scale to accomplish its ten-year development plan. He expressed hope that UM would continue its mission to nurture well-rounded graduates and talent for the Macao SAR. He firmly believes that UM’s graduates, with their high moral character and brilliant talent, will become pillars of the Macao community, serve the country, and contribute to the world.
Ho also presided over the installation of Zhao Wei as the eighth rector of UM. He thanked the former rector, Iu Vai Pan, for his contributions to the development of UM, and warmly welcomed Zhao as the new rector. He added that Zhao, with his extensive experience and remarkable achievements in higher education teaching, research, and administration, will lead the university’s faculty and students to new heights.
Zhao said in his speech that in order to become a premier institution in the world, UM will enhance its undergraduate programmes. He suggested establishing an ‘Honours College’ to concentrate resources on cultivating selected outstanding students, and creating undergraduate research programmes to provide undergraduate students with research opportunities. He also proposed elevating the faculty by launching a set of faculty development initiatives to motivate faculty members to improve their productivities significantly. Additionally, he suggested infusing global perspectives into all curricula. Zhao noted that UM, since its founding in 1981, has established a dynamic history in which it has grown rapidly to become a leading university in Macao. In 2006, the university witnessed the dawn of a new era as new laws and the charter for the university were enacted. Subsequently, under the tremendous support and leadership of the Macao SAR government and the University Council, UM established a ten-year development strategy that articulates its vision and commitment to the core mission of excellence in teaching, research, and community service. The strategy also sets forth the principles that UM aspires to, and presents its roadmap for future success.
The new rector of UM, Zhao Wei, is an internationally renowned Chinese-American scholar. Before joining UM, he has served as dean of the School of Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, director of the Division of Computer and Network Systems at the US National Science Foundation, and senior associate vice president for research at Texas A&M University. Zhao, who is also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has made significant contributions to the fields of distributed computing, real-time operating systems, computer networks, and information and cyber security. The research team he led has received numerous honours and awards. He also holds two US patents and has published over 280 papers in journals, conference proceedings, and books.
| Source: Communications Office | |
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