His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj was conferred with an honorary degree from the University of Nottingham on 24 February 2018 during the University’s graduation ceremony. The award was presented to HRH by University of Nottingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Shearer West at the first of three graduation ceremonies, which saw the University award degrees to about 250 students from the Faculties of Arts & Social Sciences, Engineering and Science. Each student graduated with a qualification from University of Nottingham, one of the top 100 universities in the world.
According to University of Nottingham Malaysia Provost and CEO Professor Graham Kendall: “An honorary degree is the highest honour awarded by the University and today we are delighted to present this award to the Sultan of Selangor who is a worthy recipient".
“He has made significant contributions in Malaysian public administration. He is an active sportsman and has undertaken a number of car rallies, including twice completing the Peking to Paris rally, as well as completing significant sailing and mountain climbing challenges. We are extremely proud, and honoured, to welcome His Royal Highness to our family”.
HRH is the eldest child of His Royal Highness Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj and Her Highness Paduka Bonda Raja Selangor, Raja Saidatul Ihsan binti Tengku Badar Shah.
On September 1960, when he was 15 years old, he was proclaimed as the Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of Selangor and was officially installed in an oath-taking ceremony at Alam Shah Palace in Klang in 1970.
His Royal Highness was proclaimed as the ninth Sultan of Selangor on 22 November 2001 upon the death of his father. He was then officially installed at a Coronation ceremony steeped in tradition in the Balairung Seri in Alam Shah Palace in Klang on 8 March 2003.
He gained his early education at the Jalan Raja Muda Malay Primary School and at St John’s Institution in Kuala Lumpur and continued his secondary education at Hale School in Perth, Australia and at Langhurst College in Surrey, England.
In 1968, His Royal Highness returned home and served in the Government Administration where his first role was in the State Secretariat of Selangor. He also served in the Kuala Lumpur District Office and the Royal Police Department in Kuala Lumpur which allowed him to gain experience and knowledge of government administration.
As the Raja Muda of Selangor, His Royal Highness has also been appointed the Regent of Selangor and has represented his father on numerous occasions at the Conference of Rulers. On 24 April 1999, he was appointed as the Regent of Selangor again when his father was appointed as the 11th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia.
In academia, His Royal Highness was appointed as Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) on 25 May 2000, and he was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Public Administration on 31 March 2001. On 1 April 2002, he was then appointed as Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and still holds this post.
In the military field, His Royal Highness was Commissioned by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and gazetted as an Honorary Major in the Territorial Army in 1974. In 1998, he was also appointed as The Honorary Commander of The Royal Malaysian Navy Volunteer Reserve and eventually as the Captain-In-Chief of The Royal Malaysian Navy with the rank of Captain in 2002. In 2012, he was conferred the "Commandeur de la Legion d'Honneur" decoration by the President of France.
As an avid sportsman, in 1987 HRH was appointed as the Honorary Life President of the Football Association of Selangor (FAS). He has also taken part in numerous adventures including trans-continental vintage car rallies. This includes successfully completing the Peking to Paris Vintage Car Rally in 1997 in a 1932 Ford Model B and again in 2007 in a 1940 Chevrolet Fangio Coupe. In 2015, he also participated in the Road to Mandalay Rally from Singapore to Burma in a 1956 Jaguar XK140. In 1995 and 1996, His Royal Highness circumnavigated the globe in his 68-foot sailing yacht, S.Y. Jugra for 22 months for a total distance of 27,940 nautical miles. He has been recognised in the Malaysia Book of Records as, "The First Member of the Malaysian Royal Family To Sail Around The World" and "The First Member of the Malaysian Royal Family To Complete The Peking-Paris Motor Challenge".
(Article image caption: (from left to right): Professor Graham Kendall, Professor Shearer West and University of Nottingham Pro Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement Professor Nick Miles with HRH Sultan of Selangor)
(Thumbnail image: Sultan of Selangor His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj)
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More information is available from Patrick Joseph on patrick.joseph@nottingham.edu.my or Josephine Dionisappu, PR & Communications Manager at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus on josephine.dionisappu@nottingham.edu.my, +6 (03) 8924 8746.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and the winner of ‘Outstanding Support for Early Career Researchers’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2015. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16. More than 97 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is recognised internationally and it is 8th in the UK by research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
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 26th February 2018