A top level delegation of Malaysian government ministers and officials visited the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on Friday 2 December. The Ministry was host to senior Chinese academics from Xiamen University, Fujian, and requested a tour of the Nottingham campus in order to examine at first hand the evolution of the UK’s first branch campus in Malaysia. Xiamen University officials are exploring the establishment of a branch campus in Malaysia – the first such project by a mainland Chinese institution, and one which might radically change the Higher Education landscape in the country. Xiamen University, a national key university, was founded in the 1920s by legendary entrepreneur and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee, who had made his fortune in the Malaysian peninsula. Xiamen is at the forefront of the internationalization of China’s Higher Education system.
The visitors, led by YB Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, former President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and recently appointed as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to China, and YB Dato’ Dr Hou Kok Chung, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, included the Vice President of Xiamen University, Professor Wu Daguang, and his senior officials. Professor Ian Harrison, Dean of Engineering at the Nottingham Malaysia Campus, welcomed the visitors, and led a tour of the facilities at the Semenyih campus. ‘We are delighted to welcome this delegation, and always ready to share our experience of the process of establishing and growing a branch campus here in Malaysia,’ said Professor Harrison. ‘The University of Nottingham is particularly proud of its success and strongly supports the further extension of high quality, international education in Malaysia, in line with the government’s goal of establishing the country as a regional Higher Education hub.’
The delegates expressed their delight and satisfaction with the trip, and explained how impressed they were by the University of Nottingham’s achievement. They took particular note of the diverse student body on campus, representing some 70 nationalities, and discussed the ways in which teaching and learning practices must adapt to the various cultural and educational expectations of such a diverse group of students. Above all, they endorsed the Quality Assurance processes by which the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, which was awarded self-accreditation status by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, has ensured that all degree programmes are equivalent in quality and content to those delivered on the UK campus. They were also struck by the institution’s commitment to research-led teaching. Academics at Nottingham are all involved directly in research as well as in teaching, and the vast majority of faculty have been awarded PhD degrees, maintaining the University of Nottingham’s reputation and ranking at the forefront of the world’s universities.
The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) first opened its doors in Kuala Lumpur in 2000. Since then, our student body in Malaysia has grown to around 4,000 — including more than 70 nationalities — based at our 101-acre dedicated campus in Semenyih. It celebrates its 11th anniversary this month.
You can find out more about courses offered by The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus at: www.nottingham.edu.my. You can also email: enquiries@nottingham.edu.my (for Malaysian students) and international.enquiries@nottingham.edu.my (for International students).
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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as “the embodiment of the modern international university”, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK’s top 10 and the world’s top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.
The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.
The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.
More news from the University at: http://www.nottingham.edu.my/NewsEvents/News.aspx
Released by The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. More information, please Josephine Dionisappu, josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my| on +603 8924 8746.
Posted on 8th December 2011