Sam Hou Fai, chief executive of the Macao SAR, met with members of the Standing Committee of the newly appointed University Council of the University of Macau (UM) at the Government Headquarters today (26 August). During the meeting, he expressed hope that UM will fully leverage its role and strengths to support Macao’s integration into and contribution to national development, and contribute to the city’s high-quality development. He also encouraged UM to set clear goals and step up its efforts to establish itself as a world-class university with an international reputation.
Sam said that, as UM enters a new stage of development, it should embrace its new mission and responsibilities, align itself with national development needs, advance technological innovation, and contribute to Macao’s development as an international hub for high-calibre talent. He noted that the Macao-Hengqin International Education (University) Town is an important initiative supporting the Macao SAR’s integration into national development, its participation in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and deeper Macao-Hengqin integration. He expressed hope that UM will capitalise on Macao’s locational advantages to attract high-quality educational and research resources, further enhance its international influence and internationalisation, and expand its educational presence in an orderly manner. Furthermore, Sam encouraged the university to steadily advance the extension of its operations, foster institutional innovation and regulatory alignment, and promote the implementation of its ‘one university, two campuses’ model, thereby playing a leading and exemplary role. He added that, in exploring industrial development, higher education institutions should uphold the fundamental mission of ‘fostering virtue through education’, remain committed to cultivating talent for Macao and the country, promote quality-focused development in higher education, and improve the quality and effectiveness of talent cultivation. Sam expressed hope that, at this new stage of development and opportunity, UM faculty and students will work together to support the university in achieving new goals across various fields and developing into a world-class university with an international reputation.
Ip Sio Kai, chair of the UM University Council, thanked the SAR government for its longstanding support of UM and reported to the chief executive on a series of initiatives recently undertaken by the newly appointed University Council. He said that the University Council will adopt new thinking and directions, fully support the various initiatives set out in the SAR government’s Third Five-Year Plan, and advance the university’s high-quality development in the new era.
Yonghua Song, rector of UM, outlined the key priorities of the university’s five-year development plan. He highlighted that the UM Cooperation Zone campus will focus on fields including artificial intelligence, fintech, big health, and design. With enhanced hardware facilities and academic structure, the Cooperation Zone campus will further raise the university’s educational standards and increase its student population, providing momentum for the sustainable development of Macao and the country. Song added that UM will seize the development opportunities in the coming five years and implement its development plans in a systematic manner.
Attendees also held in-depth discussions on coordinating the integrated development of education, technology, and talent cultivation; promoting the commercialisation of research results; and enhancing the financial management systems of higher education institutions. Also present at the meeting were O Lam, secretary for social affairs and culture; Kuok Sio Lai, Vong Hou Piu, Ma Chi Ngai Frederico, and Kong Chi Meng, members of the Standing Committee of the UM University Council; and Chris Leung, secretary-general of the UM University Council.
