Dear Alumni,

I am pleased to report that we have reached another significant milestone in the construction of our new campus on Aug 20, 2013 afternoon, the Macao SAR Government officially handed over to the University the very first building on our new campus. This is a building for a residential college.

Recall that a month ago, on July 20, 2013, the new campus was handed over to the Macao SAR government. Since then, the new campus has been under the jurisdiction of the Macao SAR, allowing various governmental agencies and utilities companies to inspect the construction of the new campus by using Macao regulations and laws. Now, they have certified that the first building is ready for use by the University.

As such, we will immediately launch a 3-day Trial-Use Programme of the new campus. During the trial use period, our staff and student volunteers will live in this newly-received building and assist in checking and testing the facilities and supporting services, identifying possible problems, making suggestions, and reporting results. After the meticulous checking of our trial users, last-minute fixes will be made to suit the needs of our coming student occupants.

We expect that two additional buildings (for post graduate student accommodation) will be handed over to the University next week or so, and students will then start moving in. Students will be notified for detailed logistical arrangements. The University is also making effort on other buildings (e.g., staff quarters, office buildings, laboratories, etc.). Progress will be reported to you via our campus media.

I would like to express our appreciation for the SAR government and various agencies and utility companies, and we are grateful for the leadership and support from our University Council. We should also extend our sincere and well-deserved thanks to our staff, especially those from Campus Development Office (CDO), Campus Management Office (CMO), and the Student Affairs Office (SAO) for their tremendous efforts. The tasks have been enormous and these colleagues are doing a remarkable job! I wish to commend them for that.

Yours sincerely,
Wei Zhao Rector