Malaysia engagement events support global objectives

The Vice-Chancellor and other UK-based colleagues recently joined colleagues in Malaysia to deliver a number of events for staff and alumni.

The recently published global engagement and internationalisation plans identify our campus in Malaysia to be our Global Engagement Hub for the wider South-East Asia region. The Vice-Chancellor was joined for the visit from 5-10 August by colleagues in global engagement, marketing, alumni engagement and Heads of School in key areas for international student recruitment.

As well as attending graduation - always the high point of the year – Robert, Heads of School and the Partnerships team engaged with Malaysia colleagues and met with current and prospective partners to strengthen and explore new opportunities for collaboration. These included key research, higher education, industry, political and student recruitment contacts in the region.

Other colleagues gathered marketing content to promote the campus and raise our international profile.

Malaysia campus ambitions

With almost 800 students now based at the Malaysia campus, our global engagement and internationalisation plans will see closer integration between UK and Malaysian operations

As a Global Engagement Hub, the goal is to use our presence in EduCity in Iskandar to increase our student numbers there through better promoting available study opportunities across the region, as well as providing improved mobility opportunities for staff and students based in the UK.

Robert jointly led a presentation for Malaysia staff on our objectives for the region and  introduced the two newly-appointed Deputy Provosts for UoR Malaysia. Following the departure of Professor Wing Lam as Provost, Professor Teck Eng will lead academic activities in Malaysia, while Nandan Ramachandran will oversee operations.

They will help to embed a more proactive approach at UoR Malaysia to be a force for good in the region through the kinds of successful engagement with government, charities and businesses we have seen in the UK.

We already have a number of active research collaborations in Malaysia and staff were told this should pave the way for further work to influence positive change in South-East Asia, for example progress with environmental sustainability or healthcare.

This is part of our ambition for UoR Malaysia – and any future Hubs – to be an extension of our UK operations, by adopting an international mindset in all our work both overseas and here in the UK.

Alumni celebrations and regional engagement

Alumni engagement events during the visit included two private sessions with notable alumni in Malaysia and a larger celebration in Kuala Lumpur.

The latter was attended by more than 100 Reading and Henley Business School graduates living in Malaysia, having studied either in the UK or Iskandar over the past six decades.

The events allowed us to share our achievements and global engagement plans and develop a closer relationship with our network of alumni in Malaysia, who can act as valuable ambassadors in the region.

Senior colleagues also met with the British Council and British High Commission, and the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce, in Kuala Lumpur to discuss trends in higher education in the region, and opportunities such as joint marketing initiatives, outreach activity and new partnerships.

A meeting was held with key recruitment agents, to discuss challenges and opportunities to be more competitive in the region.

Memoranda of Understanding were signed with Malaysian industry partners in Law to formalise collaboration and their involvement in our teaching 
activities in this growing subject in the region.

The relationships forged through these meetings and all the engagement activity will assist us as we put our engagement plans for Malaysia into action.

Image captions: UoR Malaysia graduation ceremony; UoR Malaysia campus building in EduCity; Alumni members pose for a selfie at the alumni reception event; the Vice-Chancellor with members of the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce; James Devenney, Head of Law, signs the Memorandum of Understanding with key law industry contacts in Malaysia