UM to confer honorary doctorate on Tse Chi Wai

The University of Macau (UM) will confer a Doctor of Social Sciences honoris causa degree on the educator Dr Tse Chi Wai for his contributions to education and social development, at the Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary Degrees and Higher Degrees 2016, to be held on Saturday 3 December at 5:00pm in the University Hall.

Dr Tse Chi Wai was born and completed his secondary education in Macao. He later received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics as well as master’s and PhD degrees in physics in the United States. During his 30-year presidency at Hong Kong Baptist University, Dr Tse promoted actively holistic education and was successful in raising its academic standards to the international level. Under his leadership, Hong Kong Baptist College was upgraded as the Hong Kong Baptist University. In 2001, invited by the then chief executive of the Macao SAR, Dr Tse became the chair of the University Council of UM, which position he held until 2014, with the major agenda of revamping UM’s governance, revising its charter, expediting its modernisation and internationalisation, and leading the new campus project.

In addition to his contributions to higher education, Dr Tse has also served as the director of the Research Center for Sustainable Development Strategies of the Macao SAR, and is currently a member of the University Assembly of UM, chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Chinese Medicine, and vice chair of the Trustees Committee of the University of Macau Development Foundation. His significant contribution to international higher education earned him ten doctoral degrees honoris causa and three titles of honorary professorship conferred by reputable universities in Europe, the United States, Australia, mainland China, and Hong Kong.

During the ceremony, more than 800 students of PhD programmes, master’s degree programmes, and postgraduate certificate/diploma programmes, from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, will receive their graduation certificates.