The University of Macau (UM) today (6 December) held an event titled ‘Set Sail for New Horizons on the 40th Anniversary University of Macau Residential College Education Forum—University Residential College Whole-Person Education in Action: The Experience of Universities in China’. During the event, heads of Tsinghua University, Peking University (PKU), Zhejiang University (ZJU), Fudan University, and UM shared their views online on modern college education. The event included a book launch for a new book on UM’s residential college (RC) system and its facilities.
According to Rector Yonghua Song, the RCs at UM provide a platform for students to integrate their knowledge. The RC system reflects the university’s ‘4-in-1’ model of education in line with the concept of whole-person education to nurture university graduates with academic achievements and moral integrity. Students from different academic disciplines live together in each RC, thereby creating a stimulating learning environment where they not only can learn from each other, but also can communicate with people of different disciplines or cultural backgrounds. Living in the RCs, students can develop a global perspective, learn to think independently, and uphold self-confidence in terms of their cultural backgrounds. The RC experiences will also help students apply themselves effectively in real-life situations once they enter the workforce, as they have been well prepared to navigate the world with global competitiveness.
Speakers at the forum included Tsinghua University Vice President Peng Gang, PKU Executive Vice President and Provost Gong Qihuang, ZJU Vice President He Lianzhen, Fudan University Vice President Xu Lei, and UM Vice Rector Billy So. During the forum, the speakers shared their experience in implementing RC systems and discussed how they are conductive to educating students. The speakers also exchanged ideas on the new opportunities for university education and RC education in China.
In addition, UM held a book launch for a new book titled ‘University Residential Colleges: Whole-Person Education in Action—The Experience of University of Macau’. Editors of the book include Rector Yonghua Song and Vice Rector Billy So. The book is available in hard copy and as an e-book online, with its content covering the origin, evolution, and vision of UM’s RC system. Beginning with a discussion on college education in China and the West from a historical perspective, the book provides an overview of UM’s RC education and ‘4-in-1’ model of education. The book also describes how the university has built upon the foundation of its RC education 1.0 to develop the 2.0 version, as well as the philosophy and facilities of the RCs from different perspectives. To read the book online, please visit: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/912526136/.
