Professor Christine Ennew, CEO and Provost of The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) pledged to shave her head if RM 20,000 was raised as part of the Jom Botak campaign organised by Ace Society of UNMC and MAKNA.
“Our students have been fundraising to help MAKNA enhance treatment and support for cancer suffers from disadvantaged backgrounds giving them the best possible chance to fight this devastating disease. They have worked tremendously hard and I wanted to offer them my support in the best way I could. It’s a small price to pay to be able to raise so much to support this important cause,” said Professor Ennew.
The “Jom Botak” campaign is running for the fourth year in UNMC to raise funds, to increase awareness and to show support to cancer patients throughout Malaysia. This year the campaign ran from 28 Oct to Nov 5.
“We have raised over RM 20,000 and money continues to come in and on November 5 we were thrilled to get our CEO on board towards this pledge,” said He Manli, the Organising Chairperson of Jom Botak who is an 2nd year international business management student at UNMC.
Several staff members and students also got their heads shaved as part of this campaign while others donated towards the individual pledges.
“I was very pleased to participate in this initiative by MAKNA and UNMC’s student association. In Malaysia there is a risk that 15 percent of people would suffer from cancer before the age of 75. Early cancer diagnosis saves many lives. For this reason, awareness and campaigns like Jom Botak are very important,” said Dr Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, who went bald and is also growing a beard in conjunction with Movember.
“At the University we are hugely supportive of initiatives which are student led and bring benefits to our broader community, so losing hair, which will soon grow is something is really not too difficult to do,” Professor Ennew said after having her head shaved at the Student Association Circle on November 17.
Professor Ennew received the cheers and support by many students and staff who gathered at 1 pm on November 17 to witness a bold move by the CEO and Provost of UNMC to show her support towards those affected by cancer.
Jom Botak at UNMC
The campaign involved a “Go Bald Auction” which was opened for members of staff and students at UNMC. The participants were required to be included in an auction list with a pre determined price tag. When the said auction amount had been reached, the participant shaved his or her head.
Donors are welcomed to donate until November 30 via the http://simplygiving.com/jombotakshaveforlife.
Jom Botak Campaign in 2012.
About Jom Botak
Jom Botak simply means to go bald, an initiative by MAKNA (Majlis Kanser Nasional) to get involved in the fight against cancer. For more information on starting your own Jom Botak campaign please consult: http://www.peoplegiving.org/makna-jom-botak.
UNMC's 15th Anniversary
One of the world's truly global universities, with campuses in Malaysia, the UK and China, 2015 marks the 15th year since setting up as UK's first full-fledged international campus in Malaysia and all three campuses continue to enrich the lives of students across the world through global education, ground-breaking research and community engagement.
(Article Image: Professor Christine Ennew with (from left to right) UNMC Student Association President, Muhammadh Aqeel Shums Deen and Afrah Ismail, SA Vice President.)
(Thumbnail Image: Student Associations Executives with Professor Christine Ennew)
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of‘ Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings, and 8th in the UK by research power according to REF 2014.
The University of Nottingham in Malaysia (UNMC) is holding events throughout 2015 to celebrate 15 years as a pioneer of transnational education. Based in Semenyih, UNMC was established as the UK's first overseas campus in Malaysia and one of the first world-wide
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.
Posted on 18th November 2015