UM professor and master of UM’s Moon Chun Memorial College Kevin Thompson has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S) as a new international honorary member for his “outstanding achievements in the field of performing arts”, according to a statement from the public university yesterday.
His election, according to the statement, enables him to join the academy’s notable members such as Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
The statement noted that the academy was founded in 1780 and “honours excellence and convenes leaders in the fields of science, humanities, business administration, political science, and arts” to assess new ideas and address important world issues as stated in its charter. International members have included Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Akira Kurosawa and Nelson Mandela, the statement added.
The statement said that current members represent “today’s innovative thinkers in every field and profession”, including over 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners.
The statement pointed out that Prof Thompson has received multiple honorary awards for cultural leadership, such as an “OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Arts and to UK and Hong Kong cultural exchanges (Queen’s New Year’s Honours List 2011)” and “two highest French knighthoods, namely Légion d’honneur and Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, on the nomination of French President Macron and Minister of Culture and Communication Frédéric Mitterrand”.
Moreover, Prof Thompson has served as president of the Macau European Chamber of Commerce, vice chairman of Britcham Macau, board director of the French Association Culturelle Le French May, board director of the French Macau Chamber of Commerce, among others, the statement said.
Prof Thompson is also recognised internationally as among the “most pre-eminent presidents of academies of music and arts”, the statement said, and he has held joint events in Macau with various well-known musicians and music groups.
This undated handout photo provided by the University of Macau (UM) yesterday shows Prof Kevin Thompson delivering a speech.
