USJ Macao Holds 2026 Conferral of Higher Degrees and Graduation Ceremony
USJ Macao Holds 2026 Conferral of Higher Degrees and Graduation Ceremony
07
Jul
07/07/2026
This year, a total of 324 students graduated from USJ’s doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, and post-graduate diploma programmes.
The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) hosted the Ceremony for the Conferral of Higher Degrees & USJ Graduation Ceremony 2026 on Saturday, 4th July 2026, at the Auditório Centenário de Fátima in Ilha Verde Campus. This year, a total of 324 students graduated from USJ’s doctoral, master’s, bachelor’s, and post-graduate diploma programmes.
The ceremony was officiated by His Excellency, the Most Reverend Stephen Lee Bun-sang, Bishop of Macao and Grand Chancellor of USJ, and Dr. Alejandro Salcedo Garcia, Acting Rector of USJ. Guests in attendance included Ms. Cen Jiayi, Representative of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Mr. Carlos Roberto Xavier, Acting Deputy Director and Representative of the Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ); Madam Edna May G. Lazaro, Consul General of the Consulate of the Republic of the Philippines in Macao; Mr. Eduardo Velasco Galiano, Consul-General of the Republic of Angola in Macao; Mr. Aurélio de Jesus Chiconela, Representative of the Consul General of the Consulate of the Republic of Mozambique in Macao; Members of the Catholic Foundation for Higher Education and the General Council; and representatives from higher education institutes, donors, and partners of USJ.
The event was divided into three sessions: the conferral of higher degrees (doctoral and master’s), bachelor’s degrees, and post-graduate diplomas in education (PGDE). This year, 10 doctoral degrees were awarded in business administration, education, psychology, religious studies, and science, alongside 97 master’s degrees, 82 bachelor’s degrees, and 135 post-graduate diplomas in education.
(Conferral of a doctoral degree)
(Conferral of bachelor degrees)
In his address to the graduates, Acting Rector Dr. Alejandro Salcedo Garcia drew on the university’s historic legacy – rooted in Saint Paul’s College, founded in 1594, and its motto Scientia et Virtus – to distinguish USJ’s mission from that of conventional institutions. He emphasised that USJ is not a “factory that stamps out degrees” nor a “career-training centre”, and that it does not measure its success by how many of its graduates grow rich or powerful. Rather, he stated that USJ prepares students not simply for a career but for life itself, providing them with a lens through which to see reality, to distinguish what is true from what only appears to be true, from what is claimed to be true, and from what is not true at all. He noted that this lens would guide them through a world of indifference and personal gain.
Dr. Salcedo further explained that the university measures its success not by the salary, title, or fame of its graduates, but by who they will become: by their refusal to be indifferent, by the integrity of their choices, the kindness of their actions, and the courage of their convictions. He challenged them to live as graduates of USJ – as people who see, who act, and who refuse to turn anyone into nothing, reminding them that they are the reason for others, and that is a life well lived.
(Acting Rector of USJ, Dr. Alejandro Salcedo Garcia)
In his closing address, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Stephen Lee Bun-sang, Bishop of Macao and Grand Chancellor of USJ, challenged the graduates to embrace and apply the concept of Moral Quotient (MQ) and to exercise prudence, particularly in the context of artificial intelligence (AI). He encouraged the graduates to use prudence in their pursuit of goodness, to use AI to serve others, and to be grateful and thankful.
(The Most Reverend Stephen Lee Bun-sang, Bishop of Macao and Grand Chancellor of USJ)
During the bachelor’s degree session, USJ introduced the new USJ Elite Graduate Recognition Programme, which celebrates outstanding student performance. The Dean’s List recognises graduates who have excelled in academics, participation, and attendance, while the Rector’s List is the highest level of honour, reserved for a single graduate per cohort who demonstrates exceptional overall performance. The 2026 recipients were Jasper Janello Acala Santos (Dean’s List) and Maria Clara dos Santos Queiroz (Rector’s List).
(Recipients of the Dean’s list award Jasper Janello Acala Santos, first from the left, and Rector’s list award, Maria Clara dos Santos Queiroz, second from the right)
The Ceremony for the Conferral of Higher Degrees marked the beginning of a momentous day for the university community, celebrating graduates who have been formed in knowledge and skills and most importantly, values of ethical responsibility, critical discernment, and service to others – all these are hallmarks of a USJ education.
(Bachelor degree Graduates)
(PGDE Graduates)
