University strengthens ties with Malaysia
An exclusive agreement covering certain undergraduate and postgraduate courses as well as research, staff development and sporting links has been forged between the University of Queensland (UQ) and a leading educational institute in Malaysia.
After a period of negotiations, representatives of the Higher Education Learning Program Institute (HELP) in Kuala Lumpur recently visited UQ's St Lucia campus to finalise the proposals and sign a memorandum of understanding.
In the absence of Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ted Brown and Douglas Porter, the Secretary and Registrar, signed the document on behalf of the University.
Joint signatories were Dr Paul Chan, executive director of the HELP Institute, and Kam Yoke Chan, the Institute's president.
Professor Hay said the HELP Institute had been identified as one of the most progressive and rapidly expanding private colleges in Malaysia.
He said it had an excellent track record of academic achievement, with a growing number of students finishing their postgraduate studies at Cambridge, Oxford and the London School of Economics.
"The long-term relationship now being embarked upon with this innovative college of about 6000 students will promote internationalisation in both institutions," Professor Hay said.
"The HELP Institute has students from 22 countries with an increasing inflow from Indonesia and China."
This exclusive agreement means students who have completed two years in the relevant discipline at the HELP Institute will be able to gain University of Queensland bachelors degrees in commerce, business (management), science (computer science) and information technology by completing their third year in Brisbane.
Dr Chan said HELP's campus was expanding in terms of space and facilities, and it would be setting up a dedicated centre for postgraduate courses and UQ programs. A six-storey building would be in use by next July.
He said the HELP Institute presently had the most advanced computer facilities among the private colleges and had recently enhanced its IT facilities worth around $3 million.
"Such developments complement UQ's collaboration with the HELP Institute, ensuring UQ's programs are delivered with high academic standards and quality," Dr Chan said.
Chris Madden, director of international education at UQ, said postgraduate courses would focus on the areas of commerce, accounting and finance, and international business. Students would include professional people working in middle management in Malaysia.
He said these postgraduate course work programs would involve a combination of UQ staff providing intensive teaching in Kuala Lumpur, short residential courses and maximising the use of new information technology offered through UQ Ipswich.
The latter was particularly well suited to distance education with facilities such as teleconferencing, email and other multi-media technologies providing high-tech, flexible delivery of services which the students themselves could largely control, he said.
Specific postgraduate courses being investigated include master of business administration, master of commerce, master of laws and master of information technology.
The last two might include a summer study session at UQ, and both would involve intensive face-to-face teaching by UQ staff in Malaysia together with electronic delivery and private research.
Sporting links
The HELP Institute's establishment of the National Academy of Sports Science Management is another avenue for a mutually beneficial relationship with UQ that may also involve the Queensland Academy of Sport with which UQ has a long association.
Mr Madden said the possibilities included training exchanges between athletes and coaches, and research collaboration.
A UQ-HELP Institute initiative is being planned in the form of a combined Games Week from November 2 to 6, timed to look back at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia and forward to the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
As part of its internationalisation effort, UQ has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Hong Kong-based IRI, an associate company of the HELP Institute, which spearheads industry training and postgraduate courses in Asia.
IRI will be working with UQ and the HELP Institute in developing a wide range of courses, especially from the new UQ Ipswich and from the Gatton campus 80km west of Brisbane.
Dr Chan said IRI was now planning a new residential college, with facilities to accommodate 6000 students, just 35 minutes from Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
For further information, contact Chris Madden (telephone 3365 1662).
