UM awards outstanding long-serving staff members

Recipients of the Long Service Award Grace and Calvin (from left)

Colleagues give their best at work

At the Presentation Ceremony for Long Service Award & Outstanding Performance Award for Administrative Staff held today (13 April), the University of Macau (UM) presented the Long Service Award, the Outstanding Administrative Staff Award, and the Outstanding Performance Award in Internal Promotion Assessment for Administrative Staff to eighty-eight staff members, in recognition of their many years of contributions and outstanding performance at UM.

Over the past thirty-one years since its founding, UM has achieved considerable progress in both teaching and research, as reflected in the constant improvement in teaching quality and the numerous internationally-recognized breakthroughs in scientific research. These encouraging results would not have been possible without the devoted service of a group of talented and loyal staff members, many of whom have worked at UM for over twenty-five years now. This year a total of sixty-one staff members, including twenty-four academic staff members and thirty-seven administrative staff members, received the Long Service Award for fifteen years, twenty years or twenty-five years. Apart from presenting the Long Service Award, UM also presented the Outstanding Administrative Staff Award and the Outstanding Performance Award in Internal Promotion Assessment for Administrative Staff to twenty-seven administrative staff members.

In his speech, UM Rector Wei Zhao praised the recipients’ staunch loyalty and outstanding work performance as an important driving force of the university, saying that they have set a brilliant example to their colleagues with their strong sense of belonging and selfless devotion. Wei Zhao said that UM is bound to encounter more and bigger challenges during its pursuit of the goal of becoming a world-class university with distinctive character, and so he hopes all staff members can continue to work together with a spirit of solidarity to achieve that goal.

Mr. Calvin Leong Chi Kin from the Campus Management Office, who is known as Brother Kin, joined UM in 1986. This year he received the Long Service Award for twenty-five years of service. Brother Kin said that the better half of his life was spent at UM, and having worked at UM for so many years, he has witnessed one batch of students after another graduating. The most unforgettable memory for Calvin is founding the Staff Sports Club and winning the overall championships at the Sports Festival of Public Entities for two consecutive years, under the leadership of Vice Rector Alex Lai; and the most rewarding experience for him was teaching the students to row a dragon boat and eventually winning prizes at competitions.

Ms. Grace Chau Kwai Chee, who stayed at UM to work after graduation from the university in 1996, received the Long Service Award for fifteen years of service. “This was my first job,” recalled Grace. “I love the environment, and I don’t think I will leave here until my retirement.” Grace thinks that working at UM stretches her sufficiently, exposes her to new things and challenges, and offers many opportunities for learning, which she finds enormously fulfilling. Influenced by the lifelong learning culture advocated at UM, Grace has completed more than sixty training courses and workshop. Working in the Student Affairs Office, Grace is like a big sister to the students. Many students would go to her for help when they encounter difficulties, and Grace would always be happy to lend a hand.
 

13/04/2012