Dear Members of the UM community,

Greetings from the Rector's Office! It is particularly exciting that we kick off the academic year 2009/2010 while celebrating the 60th anniversary of our motherland - People's Republic of China. I would like to share with you the progress of ongoing projects as well as plans for new projects to be initiated in the new academic year. All these developments are expected to transform our University, strengthen and enhance the infrastructure, administration, curriculum and visibility of our University.

Class 2012 of the Honours College

Congratulations to the 41 students who received their admissions into UM's Honours College! The HC Inauguration Ceremony, presided by the Chief Executive of Macao SAR and Chancellor of the University, was successfully held on 23 September 2009 for the Class 2012 of Honours College. I would like to thank you for your strong support and participation in this event. For all staff members, I strongly encourage you to actively contribute to the development of HC. Please contact Dean Mok for information of projects he is planning for the HC.

Commencement of the Graduate School

The Graduate School officially commenced operation on 1 September 2009. Reporting to Prof. Rui Martins, Vice Rector (Research), this office aims at providing services and management that support postgraduate students and their studies at UM. Please feel free to visit their office, located in Room A105 or contact them by e-mail <gradschool@umac.mo>.

Establishment of the Centre for Teaching & Learning Enhancement (CTLE)

The University Council has recently approved the creation of this Center at UM. The major objectives are to promote excellence in teaching and learning and to organize/sponsor various training, research, advisory and assessment activities supporting quality teaching and learning. Apart from conducting the "Teaching Skills Workshop for New Teachers" on 9 September 2009 and creating library special collections and on-line resource recently, the Centre will also be organizing another initiative "Teaching Enhancement Group for New Faculty Members". For further information about this Centre and its activities, please contact Prof. Simon S.M. Ho, Vice Rector (Academic Affairs).

New Campus Project (NCP)

In September, the University established a management system that is responsible for the implementation of the Hengqin Campus. Of course, as the project makes its progress, our management structure will evolve as well. Furthermore, we plan to brief and consult with the University community on version 2.0 of the new campus layout in October. We seek to collect the community's feedback, hence, further refining the master plan before the official design and construction. Once again, your participation and contributions are greatly appreciated.

Research Strategies & Management

For this subject, we are planning to organize an executive retreat in early November. The objectives of the retreat are to brainstorm and develop university research strategies and to review and streamline the management system. By doing so, we hope that the University can provide better leadership and effective services in research, thereby allowing our academic staff to significantly improve their research productivity. As such, I urge you to provide your valuable comments and suggestions to your Deans and other leaders who will reflect your inputs during our discussions.

Discussion on Best Practices

The University is planning to hold a Town Hall meeting for a discussion on best practices. Each day we are facing various challenges (e.g. problems, issues and complaints) in our teaching, research and services. To properly address these challenges will accelerate our transformation process. The Town Hall meeting intends to provide a platform for reviewing and discussing the best practices and developing ethical codes that help us to achieve desirable outcomes with fewer complications when dealing with these challenges.

Celebrations

As we will host a series of events and activities this year in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR, we invite you to participate and celebrate Macao's glorious historical moment together. Please check the UM Bulletin for the latest activities and join us in the celebration!

As UM is rapidly growing and making transformational changes, I appreciate your hard work and support throughout the new academic year to help us achieve the University's goals on quality education, teaching & research excellence and environmental efficiency. Please keep your suggestions coming! Send them by e-mail to <UMRector@umac.mo> or check with my assistant, Ada, to schedule a meeting with me during the Rector's open-door session.

Finally, I wish you and your family a healthy, happy and joyous National holiday and Mid-Autumn Festival!

Yours sincerely,

Wei Zhao
Rector