PUTRAJAYA: Taylor’s University can play an active role in helping the nation achieve a knowledge-based society by offering quality programmes to students, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said.
He said the institution could perform well if it focused on niche areas such as hospitality, business management, engineering and technology.
Previously known as Taylor’s University College, it will be known as Taylor’s University effective yesterday.
The certificate was presented by YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education to Professor Dato' Dr Hassan Said, President and Vice Chancellor of Taylor's University in Putrajaya on 29 September 2010. Also present were Emeritus Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim, Taylor's Chairman and Dato' Loy Teik Ngan, Group CEO of Taylor's Education Group.
“The elevation is a recognition of the institution’s development and excellence, especially its quality and research,” he told reporters at the ministry before presenting documents for the elevation of university status to Taylor’s University vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said.
A milestone: Mohamed Khaled presenting the status elevation papers to Hassan while Taylor’s chairman Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Syed Jalaludin Syed Salim looks on.
Taylor’s celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. Mohamed Khaled said the university had met all the criteria set by the ministry before being awarded the university status.
Currently, he said, there are 20 public institutions of higher learning, 48 private institutions of higher learning of which 22 of them are bestowed university status.
Prof Hassan said the institution wanted to be at the same level as established universities throughout the world.
“We want to compete globally and support the country’s higher education strategy,” he added. He also thanked the ministry for the recognition.
Professor Dato' Dr Hassan expresses, "We are happy to receive University status which will further enhance our standing and enable us to better compete globally. It is indeed a mark of recognition and trust from the Ministry of Higher Education and further reiterates our acceptance as a respected institution of higher learning.
"As one of Malaysia's oldest and most reputable private education institutions, Taylor's plays a strong role in developing our nation's human resource capital. Currently, we have a 65,000-strong alumnus which continues to grow annually, and many of these Taylorians are now leaders in their respective fields. We will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Higher Education towards placing Malaysia as the Regional Hub and Centre of Excellence in Education." According to Professor Hassan the Malaysian education system must continue to be re-evaluated and improved to create the workforce of the future. This will ensure that excellence is rewarded and talented graduates who excel in strategic and creative thinking as well as entrepreneurial and leadership skills are nurtured so that they can drive success in the decades ahead.
"Taylor's believes in creating an enjoyable work environment where staff are nurtured and provided with opportunities to realize their potential. As such we have seen a strong convergence of intellects where highly qualified people from all over the world have joined us because they believe in the Taylor's brand and the work we are doing. This has served to enhance our capabilities and brought us closer to our aim to one day become one of the best universities in the region.
"Over the years, the Taylor's brand has been synonymous with a culture of excellence in education. It is our Taylor's hallmark and heritage. Our work has received numerous recognitions, both locally and internationally, from professional bodies such as CDIO, RICS to name a few, in addition to the numerous awards won by our faculties over the years. Recently announced, Taylor's University College was one of the 18 higher education institutions which achieved Tier Five or 'excellent' status in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education 2009 (SETARA). The SETARA measures quality of teaching and learning at the undergraduate level in universities and university colleges in Malaysia," added Professor Hassan.
Taylor's University offers a comprehensive range of tertiary programmes, such as Architecture, Building & Design, Biomedical Science, Business, Communication, Computer Science, Engineering, Hospitality & Tourism and Law. Building on over 40 years of experience and collaborations with renowned partner universities, Taylor's also offers students the opportunity to obtain prestigious degrees through its own home-grown degree programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
In support of the Government's vision of producing 60,000 Malaysian Ph.D. holders by 2020, Taylor's University (TU) recently launched its Ph.D. Fellowship Award for outstanding scholars pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Engineering, Science or Hospitality & Tourism at TU.
Date: 29 & 30 September 2010
