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The Congregation 2013/2014 of the City University of Macau was held on June 14th, 2014. Mr. Cheong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR officiated at the ceremony. Mr. Sou Chio Fai, Director of the Tertiary Education Services Office, delivered a speech on the ceremony and expressed his appreciation towards the Acting Rector, Prof. Pang Su-Seng, and the leadership he has provided to all the staffs and faculty of the City University of Macau. Under the guidance of Chairman Chan Meng Kam of the Council of the University, City U has streamlined its administrative system and perfected the rules and regulations, gaining recognition for educational quality and obtaining international certification for several courses. Mr. Sou encouraged the graduates to continue on following their dreams and gave his best wishes that one day we shall see them all come true. The ceremony was held at the Tap Seac Multi-sports Pavilion at 10am and was attended by over 400 graduates of Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral degrees as well as their families, counting over 1,600 people in total. Esteemed guests included Mr. Cheong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; Mr. Sou Chio Fai, Director of the Tertiary Education Services Office; Mr. Hong Bo, Department Director of the Youth Office of the Cultural and Education Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macau SAR and representative for Mr. Liu Xiaohang, Chief of the Cultural and Education Department of the Liaison Office; Mr. Li Zhenhua, Director-General of the Department of General Affairs of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of PRC in Macau SAR and representative for Commissioner Hu Zhengyue; Mr. Chiang Ting Kei, Acting Director of Judicial Affairs Department of the Public Prosecutions Office of the Macau SAR and representative for Prosecutor General Mr. Ho Chio Meng; Mr. Chui Sai Cheong, Ms. Chan Hong, Mr. Si Ka Lon and Ms. Song Pek Kei, members of the Legislative Assembly of Macau; Mr. Liu Yiliang, member of the National People’s Congress; Mr. Iao Tun Ieong, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Mr. Tong Chi Kin, President of Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund; Ms. Mok Iun Lei, Subdirector of General Executive of the Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center. The ceremony was also honored with the presence of Mr. Chan Meng Kam, Chairman of the Council of City University of Macau, Mr. Ung Choi Kun, Vice-Chairman of the Council, Mr. Robert Chan, Secretary-General of the Council and other Council members and Executive Council members, as well as presidents of local tertiary institutes, principles of local high-schools or their representatives, and scholarship sponsors. Despite having 33 years of history, City University of Macau has only seen rapid progress in the past three years. City U’s predecessor, the then Asia International Open University (Macau), started as a small-sized University offering mainly distance education and part-time courses with limited campus space. In 2011, the Council of City U began to actively implement the strategy of "renaming, restructuring, transforming and upgrading" and utilize the brand effect of “City University” as our counterparts in New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong, providing high quality education for Macau, the internationally famed city of multi-cultures. City University of Macau only had three full-time courses and about 300 students in 2011. In 2012, the Ministry of Education gave approval for City U to accept full-time undergraduate students from the mainland, making City University the third local higher education institute approved for accepting all levels of student (including Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degrees) from the mainland as well as Macau and Hong Kong. City University of Macau is now spearheaded by a strong leadership appointed by the Council of the University in 2013. At the core of this leadership are renowned scholars from mainland China, Macau, Taiwan and overseas. Over the past two years, City University of Macau has gradually built up the faculty, developed a flawless academic system, and streamlined the administrative management. City U is now able to provide a multi-level, multi-disciplinary education with full-time courses increasing to the total number of seventeen. Also, with more than 3,000 full-time students in 2013, City University of Macau has not only seen an incredible ten-fold increase of student population in this two year period, but has also maintained over 60% of local student. Moreover, City U’s Masters Degree Program in International Hospitality and Tourism Management has just been awarded the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) TedQual Certification this year. These all prove that the education provided by City U has improved by leaps and bounds in both quality and quantity. Prof. Pang Su-Seng, Acting Rector of City University also gave a speech on the ceremony. Guided by the motto “rooted in Macau and serve the interest of Macau”, City University of Macau has always focused on the ultimate goal of improving the students’ overall quality and laying the foundation for the youth of Macau to enhance their competitiveness and gain better opportunities in the future. After years of resolute efforts, City U has established its own distinct characteristics and has become increasingly well-known for several disciplines, such as Business Administration, Psychology, Tourism Management, and Cultural Industries. As a non-profit private University, City University of Macau has the freedom to adapt and adjust to the needs of the society and the changes brought by time while establishing its programmes and courses, broadening our graduates’ horizon as well as raising future employment prospects. Newly opened courses in Arts in Design, Education and Applied Economics are now popular choices for students in Macau, leading to the continuing rise in the quality and quantity of applicants. This is particularly notable in City U’s postgraduate programmes, which are highly sought after by working students. Prof. Pang further encouraged the graduates to carry the motto of the University "Virtue, Knowledge, Practice" in heart and be someone who is generous, wise and diligent. “No matter what future path you would set yourselves onto,” he said, “be it in politics or business, be it in possession of wealth or fame, I hope you will always remember to pursue noble goals instead of fleeting ones, to strive for extraordinary success yet accept ordinary peace. You may become a billionaire, or happily live a simple life; you may be ambitious, or be content with what you have. I remember a song, “Ai Piah Cia Eh Yia (success is only gained by hard work)” sang by the famous Taiwanese singer Yeh Qi Tian; its lyric spoke of “life is like ocean waves, it rises and it falls”. The most important thing for you is to face the highs and lows your lives hold and to create a meaningful future with confidence and optimism. I speak of this in encouragement not only to all of you, but also to myself, as this is something I have long believed in and will always live by. I sincerely hope that all the students, staff and faculty of City University of Macau and friends who have supported City U would continue to work together and see a world-famous University named after the city of Macau built for ourselves and the future generations!” Chairman Chan Meng Kam of the Council of City University of Macau has revealed that City U began planning for applying for the use of the current University of Macau campus in Taipa since last year; though the application to the SAR Government has been made, no final decision has yet been given. He hoped that the Taipa location would be granted to City U so that a better learning environment can be provided for the students’ benefit. City University of Macau has over thirty years of history and thousands of students, yet holds no permanent campus. Currently students are scattered to study in three campuses, Golden Dragon Campus, Royal Centre Campus and Sam Yuk Campus, which are all in different areas, resulting in many difficulties. A unified campus site is desperately called for under the circumstance. The ceremony was concluded by the speech of Ms. Li Xuhong, who represented the graduates. Ms. Li stated: “Thank you to all the teachers for your tireless efforts! The days we have spent in City U will be most unforgettable ones. Today we fill City U with our laughter and vitality, tomorrow we shall achieve even more to bring glory to our alma mater!” The Congregation 2013/2014 of City University of Macau then ended in the cheering of the graduates. |
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