Marking its 22nd Anniversary, the Macau University of Science and Technology held a Ceremony for the Conferment of Honorary Doctoral Degrees cum Ceremony for Inauguration of the Faculty of Innovation Engineering at the University’s Grand Auditorium in Block R Academic Complex, on the morning of March 27, 2022. Conducted in an online-offline hybrid form, the ceremony enabled guests at home and abroad to participate in the celebrations simultaneously. Representing the chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Secretary AO IEONG U for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao S.A.R., and Mr. Zheng Xincong, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., attended and officiated the ceremony. M.U.S.T. conferred honorary doctoral degrees upon seven distinguished individuals: Dr. Ann Hui On-wah, Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Professor Ching W. Tang, Dr. Daniel Tse Chi Wai, General Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira, and Professor Zhang Wenhong.
Group Photo
Guest present at the venue included principal leaders and representatives of mainland higher institutions and organizations, Dr. Liu Chak Wan, Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council of M.U.S.T., Dr. Chui Sai Cheong, Chairman of the Trust Committee of the M.U.S.T. Foundation, Dr. Tong Chi Kin, Chairman of the Advisory Committee, other members of the M.U.S.T. Foundation, University Council and Advisory Committee, honorary doctors of M.U.S.T., local governmental officials, scholarship donors, internship providers, representatives of industries and associations, representatives of universities and secondary schools, M.U.S.T. alumni, students, and teachers. Guests who could not attend the ceremony in person were able to join the rest of the party in an online form, and the university was gifted with heartfelt congratulatory letters and souvenirs.
M.U.S.T. Held a Flag-raising Ceremony at 8AM
The Ceremony Commenced With the Colemn National Anthem
President Joseph Hun-wei Lee addressed the Ceremony. He firstly extended his warmest congratulations to the recipients of the 2021 honorary doctoral degrees, noting that as the highest of all honors bestowed by the University, the honorary doctorate represents the greatest admiration of the M.U.S.T. community for the inspiring and remarkable achievements of these outstanding individuals and that he welcomed them to join the M.U.S.T. family! President Lee also remarked that the University has embedded the development of the Greater Bay Area in its new Five-Year Strategic Plan, highlighting “Based in and integrating into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)” as a key priority. In September 2021, M.U.S.T. was designated by the Central Government as one of the two Macao universities to contribute to the development of innovation and technology in the GBA and to build a high-quality demonstration base for technology transfer in the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin. Furthermore, the University was awarded a new research platform by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China - the National Observation and Research Station of Coastal Ecological Environments in Macao, which is the first research station of its kind outside of Mainland China. Also inaugurated was the Zhuhai M.U.S.T. Science and Technology Research Institute as a platform for technology transfer and collaboration with innovation enterprises, industry, and government. With the establishment of the Zhuhai Municipal People's Hospital as the First Affiliated Hospital for the M.U.S.T. Faculty of Medicine, the University’s clinical teaching and research capacity have been greatly enhanced. Most recently, to cultivate a new generation of engineers with both solid training in fundamental sciences and an interdisciplinary mindset, M.U.S.T. formed a brand new Faculty of Innovation Engineering to facilitate inter-disciplinary research and provide education that meets the needs of the future innovation-led economy in the Greater Bay Area. The new faculty will consist of the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Department of Engineering Science, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering.
Dr. Liu Chak Wan, Chancellor and Chairman of the University Council of M.U.S.T., conferred honorary doctoral degrees upon seven distinguished individuals.
Dr. Tse Chi-wai was Conferred the Doctor of Social Sciences Honoris Causa.
Prof. Kishore Mahbubani was Conferred the Doctor of Social Sciences Honoris Causa Online.
Prof. Ching Wan Tang was Conferred the Doctor of Science Honoris Causa Online.
General Vasco Joaquim Rocha Vieira was Conferred the Doctor of Social Sciences Honoris Causa Online.
Prof. Zhang Wenhong was Conferred the Doctor of Medicine Honoris causa Online.
Dr. Hui On-wah was Conferred the Doctor of Humanities Honoris Causa Online.
Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs was Conferred the Doctor of Economics Honoris Causa Online.
The honorary doctorate representative, Professor Kishore Mahbubani, delivered a speech, saying that it was a great honor to speak as the honorary doctorate representative, and he also thanked Chancellor Liu Chak Wan, President Joseph Hun-Wei LEE, and M.U.S.T. teachers and students for conferring him the honorary doctorate. The tremendous progress M.U.S.T. has made since its establishment in 2000 is a source of great pride for all present. He also said that the whole world has witnessed the amazing development of China's economy. It has grown by 200 times over the past four decades. However, the economy of the Greater Bay Area has grown by more than 800 times. No other region in the world has experienced such rapid economic development in human history. This phenomenal growth is inseparable from the wise decisions made by China's great leaders. But past success is no guarantee of future success. Despite the amazing progress, the Greater Bay Area should constantly alter and adapt, and M.U.S.T. should contribute to the Greater Bay Area. In the coming decades, Prof. Kishore Mahbubani also believes that M.U.S.T. will play a key role in promoting the growth and development of the Greater Bay Area and Asia. On behalf of all the recipients of honorary doctorates, he wished M.U.S.T. greater success in the coming decades.
AO IEONG U, the representative of the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region and the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, expressed her heartfelt congratulations to the experts, scholars, and distinguished persons who were awarded honorary doctorates by M.U.S.T. Since its establishment, M.U.S.T. has been closely following the development needs of Macao and the country, insisting on both teaching and scientific research, and has achieved good development. In recent years, the university has pursued excellence in talent training, absorbed international talents and experience in running a school, and launched a series of new courses. In terms of scientific research, three national-level research platforms have been formed, and a series of industry-university-research projects have been carried out through regional cooperation. Meanwhile, a historical research center has been established to play a more active role in humanities and social science research in Macao. Education is based on educating people, and talents are the cornerstone of social progress. The Macao S.A.R. government has always attached great importance to the development of higher education. At the end of 2020, the "Mid-term and Long-term Development Outline of Higher Education in Macao (2021-2030)" was promulgated, setting the goals and directions for the development of higher education in Macao in the next decade. This year is also the second year of the implementation of the "Second Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2021-2025)" of the Macao S.A.R. In order to actively integrate into the development of the country and the Greater Bay Area, and to better promote moderate economic diversification and social prosperity and stability, Macao requires the active participation of higher education; by creating an educational model that meets the development needs of the times, it will cultivate more world-class talents with both political integrity and ability, and provide the impetus for the construction of Macao’s “One Center, One Platform and One Base” to help Macao's "one country, two systems" cause to develop steadily and achieve afar. The S.A.R. Government will, as always, continue to support the development of higher education institutions in Macao, including M.U.S.T., and hope that M.U.S.T. will continue to improve the quality of scientific research and cultivate more patriotic and Macao-loving talents with solid theoretical foundations, strong practical and innovative abilities, and make greater contributions to the sustainable development of Macao and the country.
Afterward, a simple but grand inauguration ceremony was held for the University’s new Faculty of Innovation Engineering.
Guests, teachers, staff, and students attending the ceremony expressed their joys, saying that it was a great pleasure for them to have the opportunity to witness the 22nd birthday of M.U.S.T., the conferment of honorary doctoral degrees, and the inauguration of the new faculty, and they wished that M.U.S.T. climbs to greater heights, has a prosperous future, and cultivates more talent!
The ceremony was ensued by the Forum on Interdisciplinary Research and the Future of Higher Education, which invited as its keynote speakers: Prof. Wei Shyy (President of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and renowned expert on aeronautics), Prof. Cheng Heping (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor at Peking University, and renowned cellular biologist and biophysicist) and Chair Professor Ling San (Standing Deputy President and Provos at Nanyang Technological University, and Chair in Mathematical Sciences). The three distinguished guest speakers have attained remarkable achievements in their respective academic fields as well as in higher education leadership and development. They all have rich experience and cutting-edge unique insights into interdisciplinary development and higher education, and they have conducted profound thinking and exploration of the roles their research fields play in interdisciplinary research and education. At the forum, they shared frontier explorations and experiences of the world’s first-class universities in these areas and discussed the in-depth integration of interdisciplinary subjects and its significances, the relationship between life and science and technology and its sustainable development, the future directions of higher education, amongst other questions. The forum not only provided the teachers, the students, and the community an academic feast, but also stimulated greater global interest in the development of interdisciplinary subjects and higher education, driving the GBA toward innovative development for its science, technology, and higher education.
Prof. Wei Shyy
Prof. Cheng Heping
Chair Professor Ling San
The ceremony and all the ensuing activities conformed strictly to the relevant anti-epidemic guidelines and requirements of the Health Bureau and other relevant departments, and they were held on the condition that environmental safety had been guaranteed.
On-site at the Forum
