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Honours College Students
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Prof. Xu Jialu (1st on left)
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HC students visit an elderly’s home

Shakespeare once said, “We can’t all be masters.” Perhaps this is true, because in every society and in every era, while there have emerged brilliant, charismatic leaders—political figures, scientists, writers, and so on—the majority have remained followers. No set of characteristics is guaranteed to produce a leader, but leadership skills and contributions to society are certainly indispensable ingredients.

Leaders are the driving force of human society, but leaders aren’t always born—sometimes they are made. Just as Rome wasn’t made in a day, neither are leaders. Creating leaders is a time-consuming process that requires innate talent and effort, social environment, and training.

The third factor, leadership training, is an important mission of universities. But how can a university provide more resources and opportunities for students with leadership potential? Establishing an honours college is one strategy.

Most comprehensive universities in the U.S. founded honours colleges many years ago, considering them an effective means to enhance undergraduate education as well as an excellent training base for producing future builders of society. In 1996, National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), a professional organization providing support for honours education, was founded in the U.S., and in 2010, the number of U.S. higher education institutions that had joined NCHC exceeded 1,200. One of the reasons so many U.S. universities have established honours colleges is their hope to select gifted students and provide them with specialized and tailor-made training.

What about Macao, a city that is developing at an amazing speed? Aware that such development is not sustainable without a steady supply of graduates with leadership skills, the University of Macau (UM) took the lead in creating the first Honours College (HC) in the city. UM’s HC selects the best undergraduate students and provides them with strict, systematic and multi-faceted leadership training, which is a bold and challenging new programme for both the university and the students.

UM’s HC was founded in 2009, and the first group of HC members are now year-4 students on the cusp of graduation. What have the students gained from the past three years? Has the operation of HC met the original expectations of the university? What impact will HC have on the Macao society as a whole? These are questions on everyone’s mind.

Fierce Competition

Law Chun Ieng (James), now a year-4 student of the Faculty of Business Administration at UM, joined HC in 2009, and since then his life has experienced profound changes. Before joining HC, he was just an ordinary student who did well academically, and he never imagined that one day he would be singled out for leadership training, much less that he would have the opportunity to study at a prestigious university in the U.S. with full funding from the university. “Of course I feel proud to have been admitted to HC,” he said. “But what I feel more is a sense of responsibility to set a good example and to repay my teachers and society.” James studied for half of a year in the School of Management at Boston College, which ranks No. 9 in the U.S. He achieved a Grade Average Point of 3.6 on a scale of 4.0, ranking alongside the top local students.

The first group of HC students comprised more than forty outstanding students like James. They were all selected from the top ten percent when they were year-1 undergraduate students. Application criteria include achieving a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.3 (15 for Faculty of Law students) and completing full-time studies of the first semester. Apart from academic performance, participation in community activities is also a key consideration.

The greatest difference between HC students and non-HC students is that the former have more opportunities for systematic leadership training. Besides attending classes, HC students can participate in various activities and courses during the three-year parallel programmes, including a self-discovery programme in the first year, which is designed to help the students know their strengths and shortcomings, as well as a leadership development programme in the second year, which aims to help the students develop leadership skills and a sense of social responsibility through various student-organized activities, such as visits to elderly homes.

In the third year, HC students have the opportunity to study for half a year at renowned universities overseas, with tuition fees and living expenses fully funded by the university. The overseas experiences expose the students to different cultures, enable them to meet friends from different countries, and allow them to grow more mature and acquire a global perspective.

Learning from Community Leaders

These gifted students were admitted to HC through fierce competition, and during the three years at HC, they have gone through training more difficult and challenging than that experienced by non-HC students, in order to develop into potential future leaders.

HC provides an excellent platform for these budding leaders to meet face-to-face with community leaders and academic heavyweights. HC regularly organizes the Honours Forum Dialogue Series (HFDS) and invites successful guests to discuss a wide range of issues. During the past two years, speakers invited to HFDS included former Chief Executive of Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah; former Chinese ambassador to the U.S. Mr. Li Daoyu; former Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee and expert on semantic studies of ancient Chinese books Prof. Xu Jialu; former Minister of Environment of Portugal Carlos Borrego; President of the Antennas and Propagation Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Prof. Magdalena Salazar Palma; and co-founder of the University of East Asia (the predecessor of UM) Dr. Wong King Keung.

“Being able to talk face-to-face with all these brilliant people is indeed an unexpected bonus,” said Chui Lok I (Tiffany), who majors in marketing and serves as the current president of the Students’ Association at HC. “If I had not joined HC, I probably wouldn’t have had access to knowledge outside my chosen field. HC has offered me more opportunities than I imagined.”

Rare Opportunities to Study at Top Universities

Knowing that the opportunity to join HC is precious, the HC students treasure it deeply. They also know that they must set a good example because they represent UM and their fellow students. In early 2011, the first group of HC students studied at Boston College, the University of Rochester, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of Coimbra in Portugal.

Chong Chi Wai (Alvin), of the Faculty of Law, chose to study at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. Founded in the thirteenth century, the University of Coimbra is one of the oldest in the world, and enjoys a prestigious reputation in Europe. It also boasts a wealth of books, many of which are rare editions. Alvin said that “a sea of books” would be most fitting to describe the collections in the library there. Another thing that he learned there is that studying away from home, one must take the initiative to make friends. “You can’t expect to solve all the problems on your own, so you have to be outgoing and make as many friends as possible, and in the process you would realize that actually many foreigners are very interested in Chinese culture and the language,” said Alvin.

Alvin isn’t the only one to find the overseas experience eye-opening. Ieong Sio Fong (Flora), of the Faculty of Education, who studied at the University of Michigan, feels the same way. “I used to think that students in the U.S. indulged themselves in having fun, but it turns out many of them are very hard-working and hate to waste time,” said Flora. “American students are required to read a lot of reference books or materials, and you could often see students bury themselves in a pile of books in the library at one or two o’clock in the morning.” (More about HC students’ overseas experiences in the last section.)

Setting an Example for Future HC Students

It’s been two years since HC was launched, and the brilliant example set by the senior members will hopefully inspire their junior counterparts to do even better.

“Those who lack vision can’t go far, and HC is committed to helping us acquire a vision through serving the community,” said Cristiana Soares, whose mother tongue is Portuguese and who joined HC only this year. “That’s what drew me to HC in the first place.”

Bai Ziwen, of the Faculty of Science and Technology, who joined HC one year ago, thinks the best thing about HC is not the numerous opportunities, but the deep friendships formed by everyone overcoming challenges and growing together.

Wu Shuqi, of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, likens HC to a window. “Through this window I managed to go beyond the narrowness of my own world and have a panoramic view of a more real and diversified world, as well as a better and more mature ‘me’,” said Wu. “HC also enabled me to acquire leadership skills, a sense of responsibility, and a willingness to spread positive energy to others.”

Varied as these HC experiences are, they all reflect a journey of self-discovery and growth, and those brave enough to embark on this journey face a future full of possibilities.

HC Helps Students Reach Full Potential

On 14 November 2010, Premier of the People’s Republic of China Mr. Wen Jiabao visited UM, and he expressed high expectations for the university when he said: “UM has a promising future, and the future of Macao is in your hands. The soul of a university lies not just in material conditions but also in its spirit—a spirit of working hard and constantly striving for self-improvement. I believe that over time UM will have its own tradition, style and spirit, and I believe that UM will become better and better!”

Become better it has—thanks to the great support of the central and local governments. In the process of becoming better, UM has always aligned itself with the SAR government’s blueprint for education development, and the founding of HC is a case in point. Establishing HC at a time when a shortage of graduates with leadership skills has become a bottleneck hindering the city’s sustainable development was indeed a decision that aimed to answer the needs of society. When HC was officially founded on 23 September 2009, the then-Chief Executive of Macao SAR Edmund Ho Hau Wah attended the inauguration ceremony to show support.

UM Rector Wei Zhao, who advocated establishing HC, noted that whether UM can become a leading university regionally and internationally depends on whether its graduates can advance technological and cultural developments in China and the world. He believes HC takes UM one step closer towards that goal. “HC brings together the best of the best, and in my opinion it is not just possible, but achievable, for UM to produce the future chief executive for Macao,” remarked Rector Wei Zhao. “That being said, being an HC student doesn’t equal being superior; it merely means having bigger responsibilities. The title of ‘HC student’ is a source of stress—and motivation. ”

HC Dean: We Want to Produce Erudite Specialists

As the dean of HC, Prof. Mok Kai Meng has a huge responsibility and a long road to go. “It was a huge challenge to establish HC within a very tight time frame, especially given that the systems and teaching methods of HC are entirely different from those of the other faculties,” shared Prof. Mok. “Besides, the situation in Macao is different from that in the U.S.—our purpose of founding HC is not merely to educate elite undergraduate students through small-class teaching; we have a very clear goal, which is to produce leaders for society, so we couldn’t just copy the pedagogical models followed by American universities. We designed a series of key leadership training courses, and in the process we prudently considered what Macao students need and lack. For instance, to make up for the students’ lack of international experiences, we arranged for accomplished figures to give lectures and have dialogues with them, and we also sent them to top universities overseas so they can have first-hand experiences about life overseas and make friends from different cultural backgrounds.”

From the conception of the idea proposed by UM Rector Wei Zhao to the actual creation of HC, Prof. Mok and his team devoted an enormous amount of time and energy in the process. Every time he mentioned the development of HC, Prof. Mok smiled as though he was sharing the growth of his own children, every step a significant milestone etched in memory. “We started from zero, and we went through a lot of challenges and difficulties, but when we saw the profound changes in the students, we felt hugely rewarded,” said Prof. Mok.

Prof. Mok recognizes his team’s support and the power of team work. “Our HC teachers have rich experience in stimulating the students’ potential and in helping the students to realize self-development. Apart from imparting various leadership skills and knowledge, they also attach great importance to helping the students develop essential qualities required of a leader, including modesty, thirst for knowledge, and a willingness to care about the society in which they live.”

Prof. Mok further noted that in addition to encouraging excellent individual performance, HC also hopes to provide a platform for the students to establish extensive interpersonal networks, to draw on the wisdom of the others, and to pursue constant self-improvement. “These students will hopefully become leaders in different fields. The friendships formed here will be an invaluable asset for their future development. ”

Prof. Mok looks forward to the day when the new campus is built, because then HC will have independent buildings. He hopes better facilities will encourage student interaction and enrich student life.

HC Students’ Recollections of Overseas Experiences

This autumn, the first HC students returned from their overseas studies, with some achieving a Grade Average Point of 3.6/4.0, ranking alongside the top local students. Let’s hear what they have to share with us.

Lao Teng Teng (Echo), Department of Chinese, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
—University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

At the start of this year, eleven of us left the small city of Macao, where the streets were still lined with green trees, and arrived in a small snow-carpeted town named Urbana-Champaign in the U.S. During the six months in the cultural melting pot, almost every moment was a chance to learn something. We learned how to get along with different kinds of people and understand their unique viewpoints and cultural backgrounds. We learned to compare others’ opinions and backgrounds to ours to reach a new place where we could look at things differently. We learned to be independent, and we learned to divide work between ourselves and our roommates. In the dormitories far away from home, we learned to turn the knowledge from books into real action and took care of everything, big and small, in our everyday lives. We also learned about how to depart. Journeying through the vast North America, we traded finite time for infinite memory. We allowed the experiences to broaden our horizons and enrich our minds. Realizing the endless possibilities inside of us, we packed our bags, ready to embark on the next stage of our life’s journey.

Ding Xuejie (Yolanda), Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
— University of Rochester

The University of Rochester rarely arranges which courses students should take. Mostly the students choose courses based on their own interests, the path they wish to pursue, and advice from the academic advisors. The first professor I met there was Prof. Osburg, a young, erudite professor of anthropology. He was very interested in Chinese culture and he could speak fluent Chinese. American professors attach great importance to teacher-student interaction and they like to encourage students to think and write critically. Sometimes in class, more time was spent in the students’ discussing questions and expressing opinions than in the professor lecturing. At first I was afraid of speaking English out loud in front of so many native speakers, so I hardly expressed my views in class. Later, with the encouragement of my professors and classmates, I began to let go of my fear. After reading my last paper, Prof. Osburg told me that he was very surprised that a non-English native speaker could write such a coherent and clearly-expressed paper. His words made me so happy.

Iong Man Teng (Iris) and Lam Ka Man (Megka), Department of Finance and Business Economics, Faculty of Business Administration
— Boston College

Iris: My stay at Boston College has left me with many beautiful memories and profound realizations. I’m most impressed with American students’ positive attitude about study and life as well as their ability to think creatively. I noticed that students at Boston College were very diligent. In class, they would listen to the teacher attentively and answer questions actively. After class, I could see many students studying in their dormitories or in the library. Studying amid such an atmosphere made me more driven and motivated.

Megka: As a person who was born and grew up in Macao, I had never truly and deeply experienced any cultures or life outside the city until I went to study at Boston College, and I must say that was a life-changing experience. At Boston College, teaching begins with understanding and is preceded with a lot of reading and preparation, and learning is based on answering and asking questions on the part of the students, which are very rare in Macao. I think after you’ve had this once-remote-and-now-accessible experience, your goal in life becomes bigger and you see farther away, and this I think is perhaps the ultimate purpose of such exchange activities.

 

Should you have any query, please feel free to contact Ms. Albee Lei at(853)8397 4325 or albeelei@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.