Professor Io Kei Kuong, Prof. Lai Cheng Lei, Professor Qingjie Wang, Prof. Wenjiang Yang (front row, left to right)

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) hosted an orientation on campus to welcome over 250 new undergraduate students on 15th August 2023 and to prepare them for a new chapter at the University of Macau (UM). It was the first face-to-face orientation in three years and students were excited about it.

Prof. Qingjie Wang, Associate Dean of FAH, led the orientation with the “Dean’s First Lecture” and congratulated the students on their admission to the FAH, UM.

Prof. Wang extended his welcome on behalf of the FAH to all the freshmen and expressed his wishes in building a strong community for the faculty and students. He shared his ideas of arts and humanities in respect of academic research and life experience. Then he briefly introduced the different disciplines in arts and humanities including literature, history, art, language studies and philosophy currently offered by the FAH.  In a bid to inspire students to study hard for optimal outcomes and a brighter future, Prof. Wang emphasized the importance of the four core competencies—creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration—which the FAH nurtures and are essential for students’ success. He concluded the “Dean’s First Lecture” by quoting Prof. Xu Jie, Dean of FAH: “Today, I am proud of my alma mater; tomorrow, I shall be the pride of my alma mater!”

Following the Dean’s lecture, Professor Victoria Lai Cheng Lei, Assistant Dean of FAH, delivered her greeting notes to students. Prof. Lei not only outlined the rules and regulations concerning academic performance and the procedures for seeking assistance and support, but also introduced learning strategies to help students thrive academically.

Afterwards, representatives from the FAH Student Association introduced their organization and its upcoming events to the students. Even though the new students have not yet participated in any student events, they expressed excitement about their new lives at UM.

Subsequent to FAHSA’s introduction, the new undergraduate students attended the briefing sessions provided by their respective departments, where they were given comprehensive information about the study plans of their 4-year programmes, graduation requirements, attendance policy, etc. This also provided the students with an opportunity to meet some faculty members and ask relevant questions.