Dear all members of UM Community:
 
I am pleased to share with you the latest news on the Hengqin Campus Proposal. Today, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has officially approved the University of Macau’s Hengqin Campus Proposal, delegating authority to Macao SAR to apply the legal and administrative system of Macao within the UM’s Hengqin campus. This approval affirms the Central Government’s firm support, confidence, and respect for Macao and the University of Macau.
 
While the decision on the development of major campus and facilities is within the authority of the University Council, many of our University members have nevertheless actively contributed in many different ways to this new campus project. It is your suggestions, opinions, comments and criticisms that all constructively contributed to the development of our recommendations to the University Council. As such, I would like to congratulate all the members of the University community for successfully pulling together in such a brief period of time. Together, we made the difference!
 
While the achievement of this proposal approval is indeed a significant milestone, our next step is to pull together all of our strengths and resources to develop and refine the campus development plan into practical details and bring fulfilment to the creation of a “people-oriented" campus for the University of Macau. Although there is no precedent to follow, we shall ascertain both the preservation of the University’s traditions and values and acceleration of progress toward excellence in teaching, research, and service. Many challenges are ahead of us. In all aspects of pursuing the betterment of the University, we are counting on each and every University member to support and champion this great project in the days to come.
 
For your information, a press conference on this subject is scheduled on 27 June, Saturday at 4pm. It will be broadcast live by TDM (TV) and Macao Radio (both Chinese and Portuguese channels), while many other media outlets within Macao and beyond will cover this story. We will also invite academic leaders (deans, department heads, centre directors, and program coordinators) for a meeting to take place on 30 June, Tuesday for a discussion on this topic. Soon, we will announce a working group that will be responsible for coordinating the design and construction of the new campus. Meanwhile, if you have any ideas, suggestions and/or questions, please do not hesitate to discuss with me,Vice Rectors and Deans.
 
Let’s celebrate while keeping up the good work!
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Wei Zhao
Rector