USJ holds 2023 Mainland Students’ Symposium
USJ holds 2023 Mainland Students' Symposium
28
Nov
28/11/2023
USJ’s Mainland Students shared their studies and campus experiences to the delegates of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR, and the Education and Youth Development Bureau, at the 2023 Mainland Students’ Symposium.
The 2023 Mainland Students’ Symposium, initiated by the University of Saint Joseph (USJ), was held on 15 November 2023. Fifteen mainland student representatives from USJ’s four different faculties and institutes – Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Business and Law, Institute of Science and Environment, and the Institute for Data Engineering and Science – shared their studies and campus experiences during the symposium.
USJ was honoured to have the presence of Mr. Xu Zhiping, Deputy Director of the University Office under the Education and Youth Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR, along with officials from the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) including Carlos Roberto Xavier, Head of the Department of Tertiary Education, and Sam Hio Tong, Head of the Division of Quality Assurance. The guests were warmly welcomed by the Rector of USJ, Rev. Prof. Stephen Morgan, Vice-rector of USJ, Prof. Zhang Shuguang. Dr. Teresa Loong, Vice-rector for Student Affairs, Head of Office for Student and Alumni Affairs, Jenny Lam.
Deputy Director Xu Zhiping stated in his speech that the Education and Youth Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macao SAR has been providing applicable services and assistance to the Mainland students in Macao. He perceived that Mainland students at USJ engaged as part of the university community and that they were supported and assisted by the University in various aspects of their education. He hoped that students would treasure the learning opportunities on campus, contribute what they have learned to the youth, and integrate into the overall development of China.
Carlos Roberto Xavier and Sam Hio Tong, from DSEDJ, mentioned that 2023 marks the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 24th anniversary of Macao’s Return to China, and a series of activities will be held in Macao to commemorate the occasions. They encouraged the Mainland students to actively participate and hoped that they would be able to encounter various cultures and learn more about Macao in addition to learning the language of Cantonese, so that they could broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge.
USJ’s Rector Morgan, and Vice-rector Zhang expressed gratitude to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government and DSEDJ for their efforts in promoting the enrolment of students from the Mainland in the past few years. They underlined that USJ, as a university rooted in, based on, and serving Macao, has been benefiting from the diversity of its student body, which helps to diversify the university’s development and strengthen its connections with the outside world. They also emphasised that USJ will continue to place a high value on teaching quality in the future and will spare no effort to repay all parties’ trust and confidence in USJ, allowing students to embody the uniqueness of the campus.
During the sharing session, student representatives expressed their gratitude to the teachers for their guidance and shared that, in addition to their academic pursuits, they had personally experienced USJ’s internationalisation on campus. In terms of learning English, for instance, the University has provided a platform for students to interact with both local and international students, and during conversation, they have been able to speak English more effectively than they did previously. They could also benefit from the experiences of people from all backgrounds through the seminars the University offered in different fields. The event concluded with a video sharing of a USJ students’ exchange programme to Portugal and Germany, which was a lively and enjoyable occasion.
