Chancellor
YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne Abdullah
Pro Chancellor
YBhg Tan Sri Dato' Azman Hashim
Group Management Committee YBhg Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali President/Vice-Chancellor YBhg Prof Dr Mansor Fadzil Senior Vice President YBhg Prof Ir Dr Rosli Hamir Vice President (Learner Management & Campus Development) Repin Ibrahim Senior General Manager (Business Development & Management Services) Kamariah Mohd Noor General Manager/Registrar Che Omar Ahmat @ Ahmad Financial Controller/Bursar Prof Ramli Bahroom General Manager (Corporate Planning) Prof Dr Ahmad Hashem General Manager (Technology)
Editorial Team
Advisor YBhg Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali President/Vice-Chancellor Chief Editor Kamariah Mohd Noor General Manager/Registrar Editor YBhg Datin Teh Raqamah Abdullah Director, Corporate Relations Unit Associate Editors Assoc Prof Hazidi Abdul Hamid Faculty of Education & Languages Siti Farina Sheikh Mohamed Faculty of Education & Languages Norfardilawati Musa Faculty of Applied Social Sciences Rahmah Daud Manager, Corporate Relations Unit Azeezah Jameelah Mohd Mohideen Senior Executive, Editorial Unit Fatimah Ibrahim Senior Executive (Quality Assurance) Writer Gowri Venkatesan Senior Executive, Corporate Relations Unit Photographer Azizan Jamaludin Corporate Relations Unit
Contact Us: OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA Jalan Tun Ismail, 50480 Kuala Lumpur Tel: 603.2773.2045 Fax: 603.2697.8825 E-mail: pro@oum.edu.my
President’s Quill Building Capacity Across Nations motto, University for All, has a special meaning for the University. O InUM’ssimple terms, it means the University’s doors are open to anyone who wants to obtain tertiary qualification.
Thus far, we have been relatively successful in making our programmes available, accessible and affordable for Malaysians, be they in rural or urban areas. We have learning centres in every state except Perlis. We have learners from both the public and private sectors. Our youngest learners are in their twenties while some of our senior learners are way past retirement. These are all achievements that we are proud of. It thrills us to see the University being accepted as a reputable and credible institution of higher learning by an increasing number of Malaysians. However, our efforts to make OUM a “University for All” do not stop within our borders. We have set our sights even further. It is with this in mind that we began exploring options of providing education to people in other nations. If they could not come to us, we would go to them. If they have the desire to improve their career prospects and enhance their marketability, OUM wants to play a part in making that desire a reality. Consequently, we now have an outfit called OUM International which focuses specifically on the provision of tertiary education across borders. This Unit is making its mark through high-quality and need-based programmes. In a short span, it has fostered collaborations with colleges and universities in countries such as France, Japan, Yemen, Bahrain, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. More strategic alliances and partnerships with foreign universities and colleges, private corporations, and governments are envisioned. For OUM, this is the right time for us to spread our wings in the international arena. Despite the current economic downturn, the world continues to develop rapidly in terms of technology and communications. In fact, the expansion of Internet is transforming the digital divide into a digital dividend. OUM is cognisant of this and is constantly innovating in terms of technology to bring education to more learners across the globe. I hope you will enjoy reading this issue of OUM Today, which will give you more insights into the University’s cross-border programmes and projects. To sum it up, OUM aims to really become the “University for All”.
OUM Today is published by Open University Malaysia, a member of METEOR Group of Companies. The electronic version is accessible at www.oum.edu.my
All rights reserved. No part of this pulication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, including but not limited to electronic or mechanical photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system or otherwise, without prior agreement and written permission from the publisher.
Professor Tan Sri Anuwar Ali 02
OUM Today Issue 57 • March 2009
Chancellor presenting the degree to Dr Ikeda
OUM Honours Proponent of World Peace and Humanity n a ceremony steeped in tradition of Malaysia and Japan, OUM conferred the Honorary Doctor of Arts (Humanities) to Dr Daisaku IIkeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), in a Special Convocation held at Soka International Friendship Hall, Japan.
OUM Chancellor YABhg Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne Abdullah conferred the award to Dr Ikeda, who became the first international recipient to receive the Honorary Doctorate from the University. The convocation was attended by His Excellency Dato’ Mohd Radzi bin Abd Rahman, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Japan as well as key officials from both OUM and SGI. The Honorary Doctor award was given in recognition of Dr Ikeda’s outstanding work in promoting world peace and character development through education and culture. Besides Dr Ikeda, OUM had previously conferred honorary doctorates to three individuals, who are OUM’s founding members and former Vice-Chancellors of Malaysia’s leading universities.
Speaking at the convocation, Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne said: “Learning institutions shoulder the noble responsibility of creating a society that values education. OUM and SGI share the same sentiments in making education accessible to the masses to help develop human capital.” President/Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Anuwar Ali, in his speech, said that OUM is honoured to confer Dr Ikeda with the honorary doctorate. “He is a visionary man who believes that education and world peace are closely linked. Likewise, at OUM we believe that education spurs socio-economic development to elevate the living standard of people.” More pictures on pages 6 and 7.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Ikeda, said: “Those who adopt lifelong learning will emerge victorious in their lives. Education is the noblest pursuit that brings greater meaning to our existence. The advantage of education can be realised during trying times, especially now when the world is threatened by adversity. In an age where uncertainty is widespread, humankind should be strongly united and this is made possible by education.” OUM and SGI have a long standing relation through collaborations aimed at providing learners from both institutions exposure to the best learning experience. In May last year, Datin Paduka Seri Jeanne was conferred the Award of Highest Honor by Soka Women’s College, Soka University. The recipients of OUM’s Honorary Doctorate were selected based on their profound contribution towards the betterment of the community. Dr Ikeda, has dedicated his life in propagating the culture of peace and harmony through social engagement and lifelong learning.
One for the album
OUM Today Issue 57 • March 2009
03
Honorary Doctor of Arts (Humanities)
ational Friendship Hall, Tokyo
cellor, Seri Jeanne Abdullah
g is not new to the Japanese. In ng to see its values. Working ing the benefits of furthering opment and career growth.”
Honorary Doctorate Recipient; President SGI, Dr Daisaku Ikeda
“Those who adopt lifelong learning will emerge victorious in their lives. Education is the noblest pursuit that brings greater meaning to our existence. The advantage of education can be realised during trying times, especially now when the world is threatened by adversity. In an age where uncertainty is widespread, humankind should be strongly united and this is made possible by education.”
a Gakkai International OUM Today Issue 51 57 ••August March 2008 2009
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