On 22nd July, students from the new intake of the International Business Cohort came to Macao to visit the campus. Professor Kong Fanqing, Vice Rector of City U, Dr. Eva Khong, the Executive Associate Dean, Mr. Fong Kwong Yee, the Programme Coordinator, and Ms. Luisa Lao, the Admissions Officer, met and welcomed the group and guided the parents and new students from Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Hunan and elsewhere as they toured the campus and its facilities.
Prof. Kong welcomed this group of visitors and introduced them to recent developments in Macao, which is benefiting enormously from various national policies, including the special position of the Greater Bay Area and the Co-operation Platform between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries. Studying in Macao is beneficial in terms of expanding perspectives and establishing global thinking. She emphasized that City U devotes great attention and special resources to the International Business Cohort, offering many types of scholarships to encourage students who study hard. The FOB also offers students excellent teachers from different countries, including Britain, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and local experts from Macao, thereby effectively boosting the international vision of students. The FOB has also established numerous Experiential and Entrepreneurial Practice-based exercises, to provide different opportunities for studying through knowledge and practice and reveal students’ interests and abilities, which are important to their future entrepreneurship and employment opportunities.
After the meeting, the FOB organized a mock lecture for the students, which parents were also invited to attend. Dr. Eva Khong introduced the features and thematic training provided by the International Business Cohort programme. The Cohort is taught in English, with the objective of upgrading the standards of the students' English and Applied Business English. The FOB regularly launches various thematic training exercises for students, to improve specific abilities in team-building and leadership skills, entrepreneurship, and other areas. Since cross-cultural development is highly important to business, every summer the FOB arranges international academic exchanges for the International Business Cohort. On July 23rd, the 2016/2017 International Business Cohort began their first two-week summer exchange programme at the University of Alberta in Canada. After this brief introduction, Mr. Fong Kwong Yee embarked on a mock lecture in English on Accounting, explaining the details of how to pass the Accounting international accreditation examinations. His mock lecture was interesting and vivid, illustrated with special and specific analyses, and reflected the real situation in normal classes. Both students and parents found that the mock lecture expanded their understanding of the International Business Cohort and helped them to know what to expect in the coming semester.
During this visit, the parents and students stayed overnight at the university dormitory, which gave them firsthand knowledge of accommodation conditions and facilities on the campus. They also toured different facilities on the campus, including the Cultural Centre, the Ho Yin Convention Centre, the Library, the Multimedia area, a Discussion Room and other areas for academic activities. Each semester, the FOB conducts some thematic seminars in these various facilities, that improve the real management and operational skills of students and enlarge their understanding of international business trends. Parents and students then visited the canteen, the student corner, the gym room, the garden performance stage and other public areas, to learn more about campus life. City U feels great concern and obligations to promote the overall wellbeing and rights of students and encourages their extracurricular activities. It has therefore opened canteens and gym rooms. It also encourages numerous student cultural and sporting organizations, which mount regular programmes of performances and activities that promote a wide range of diverse student interests. Outside their study commitments, students may choose and undertake whatever activities they wish to enrich their extracurricular life.
In the evening, Prof. Kong and the teachers invited the parents and students to a dinner gathering, where they could share their opinions and feelings about their visit. This real-life experience of the university allowed parents and students to become familiar with the City U campus and the FOB programmes. They can now look forward confidently to exceptionally good experiences once classes begin officially in September 2017. On the following day, City U arranged a short tour around Macao, with an introduction of local conditions and customs, so that parents and students could learn more about the city. Overall, this visit left them with much greater knowledge of Macao and of what they could expect of campus life during the coming four years.