The University of Macau (UM) held a kick-off ceremony on 17 September to celebrate the launch of the residential college (RC) system on the new campus. UM’s University Council (UC) Chair Dr Lam Kam Seng, former UC Chair Dr Tse Chi Wai, UM Rector Prof Wei Zhao, Vice Rector (Student Affairs) Prof Haydn Chen, and eight residential college masters officiated at the ceremony.

Rector Wei Zhao noted that the new campus, which is 20 times larger than the old one, provides an opportunity for UM to implement the RC system. And with the RC system in place, UM is now able to fully carry out peer and community education, which is one component of UM’s unique “4-in-1” model of education. He believes that students can benefit from the RC system and the pluralist environment on the new campus.

Vice Rector Haydn Chen said that all the courses and activities at the RCs are designed to help students meet requirements in the five Areas of Competencies, namely Interpersonal Relation and Teamwork, Global Citizenship, Leadership and Service, Cultural Engagement, and Healthy Living. He noted that RCs aim to nurture students into well-rounded, intellectually and socially resilient, and caring people who can lead principled and productive lives, and whose academic knowledge and scholarly achievements are complemented by good interpersonal communication skills, a wide range of interests, and the ability to pursue lifelong learning.

Masters of the eight RCs are all renowned scholars in different fields with rich academic and managerial experience. They are Prof Liu Chuan Sheng, an authority on plasma physics; Prof Chung Ling, a prolific writer and scholar of China-West comparative literary studies; Prof David Pong, a veteran historian; Prof George Watt, a literary scholar who had accumulated over nine years of experience managing and heading RCs before he joined UM; Prof Liu Chung Laung, a renowned computer scientist; Prof Kevin Thompson, a renowned musician; Prof Kenneth Leung, an expert in communication law and ethics; and Prof Iu Vai Pun, an expert in structural mechanics.

The eight RCs which have become operational include the Stanley Ho East Asia College, the Henry Fok Pearl Jubilee College, the Moon Chun Memorial College, Cheng Yu Tung College, Shiu Pong College, Choi Kai Yau College, Chao Kuang Piu College, and Lui Che Woo College. Each RC is home to about 500 undergraduate students of different majors and in different years of study. UM plans to establish four more RCs in the future, which will bring the total number of RCs to 12. When that happens, UM is expected to have the largest RC system in Asia.

澳門大學今學年起在新校園全面推行住宿式書院制度,並於九月十七日舉行住宿式書院系統啟動儀式,象徵澳大“四位一體”教育模式中的“社群教育”理念全面實踐。

澳大校董會主席林金城博士、前校董會主席謝志偉博士、澳大校長趙偉教授、副校長(學生事務)程海東教授和八所書院創院院長出席主禮。在約百位教師、職員、學生的見證下,主禮嘉賓手持火種燃點燭光,意味著學生心、腦的求知和實踐的熱誠被燃點起來,亦象徵著住宿式書院系統正式啟動,使生活中體驗的學習理念得以延續。

趙偉致辭時指出,澳大透過專業教育、通識教育、研習教育和社群教育的“四位一體”教育模式,多方位、全天候培養優秀學生。新校園面積比舊校園大二十倍,使澳大可以把握此一機遇參考世界一流大學的成功經驗,引入住宿式書院制度,實踐“社群教育”的理念,讓學生可以在多元的校園環境中學習和生活。

程海東表示,書院所有的課程和活動均圍繞“健康生活”、“人際關係和團隊合作”、“領導與服務”、“文化參與”和“全球公民”五個能力指標開展,以培養學生開放多元的思考能力、應對生活中各種挑戰的能力,以及終生學習的能力,同時學會關懷別人和社會、生活自律、信守原則,成為全面發展的人才。

為了促進書院實踐成功,澳大透過全球招聘了學識淵博、熱心教育,在學術和管理方面經驗豐富的知名學者擔任書院創院院長,分別是電漿物理權威劉全生教授、文學家鍾玲教授、歷史學家龐百騰教授、文學研究者華佐治教授、計算機科學家劉炯朗教授、音樂家湯柏燊教授、新聞法律與新聞道德教學研究學者梁偉賢教授和結構力學專家姚偉彬教授。

澳大現時已成立了八所書院,分別為曹光彪書院、鄭裕彤書院、蔡繼有書院、霍英東珍禧書院、呂志和書院、滿珍紀念書院、紹邦書院及何鴻燊東亞書院,計劃其後逐步增加至十二所,成為亞洲最具規模的書院系統。每一書院約有五百名本科生,學生不分專業和年級安排到書院生活和學習;院長、副院長和書院導師也住在書院,經常與學生共膳。1