KUANTAN: Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) is continuing to strengthen its role as a technology university as part of the Malaysian Technical University Network to boost the country's technical and vocational training and education (TVET) empowerment agenda.
Established two decades ago, UMP has produced 38,408 graduates. It is striving to further consolidate efforts to develop and expand higher education by focusing on high-end TVET, which will boost the country's education system.
The Pahang campus will continue to focus on research and innovation excellence to enhance UMP's technological capabilities through high-impact inventions, discoveries and technologies that will benefit the community locally and globally.
The university is rapidly developing and constantly adding value to academic programmes through a continuous benchmarking process using world-class models.
UMP Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Yuserrie Zainuddin said the university's achievements have helped the institution make its mark in global higher education.
He said UMP, established as a technical university in 2002, offers technical programmes based on engineering and technology.
The university focuses on applied research and industrial projects with industries to enrich teaching and learning, while promoting the commercialisation of research products.
"UMP also develops human capital and technology resources to meet the needs of the industry and contribute to the development of the country. UMP's international dual degree programmes are growing rapidly as among the best in Asia, helping to boost marketability," Yuserrie said.
He said UMP excelled on the global stage, in line with the UMP Strategic Plan 2021-2025 to emerge as the best technological university.
He said the university offered automotive engineering and mechatronic engineering dual-degree programmes in collaboration with Germany's Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, now in its 12th year.
"A total of 260 UMP students have completed dual-degree programmes, with 124 students earning a degree in mechatronic engineering, 81 in automotive engineering and 55 in business engineering.
"The cooperation between UMP and Beijing Jiaotong University in China in the civil, mechanical and electrical engineering dual-degree programmes will contribute to the development of the country's railway industry.
"In 2017, UMP was appointed the focal university for the ECRL (East Coast Rail Link) Industrial Skills Training Programme. This came following negotiations between the Higher Education Ministry, Malaysia Rail Link and China Communications Construction Company."
Yuserrie said the collaboration between UMP and Majlis Amanah Rakyat allowed 21 students to participate in the Young Talent Development Programme, which supports students from the preparatory level to earning their first degree at selected higher learning institutions abroad.
SMART CAMPUS
In line with the aspiration of UMP board of directors chairman Tan Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman to have a sustainable campus and initiatives to produce a conducive green ecosystem, Yuserrie said the campus established the Smart Campus Centre of Excellence for the development of human capital and technology.
He said the smart campus will focus on data science and digital transformation, a concept that blends well with UMP's vision of creating a smart environment through design and technology that emphasises quality of life, safety and sustainability.
"Various high-impact initiatives under the smart campus project have been planned, including UMP Super Apps, Smart Campus Autonomous Vehicle, 5G coverage on campus, smart operation centre and WiFi access point for each room at students' residences.
"UMP is committed to empowering the campus ecosystem by optimising services and operations through smart technology.
"Several digital transformation anchor projects produced by UMP researchers will support the smart campus effort. It will be expanded to areas near UMP to benefit the community, in accordance with the UMP Strategic Plan 2021-2025 tagline, 'Technology for Society'."
CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT
Yuserrie said UMP was drafting a Campus Sustainability Project plan based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), involving solar energy, energy-saving lights, Electric Shuttle Bus, Zero-Emission Vehicle Policy, Smart Crop Irrigation System, Rainwater Management System and the Upcycling Waste-Effluent STP waste management project.
"Rimba Lestari UMP is a sustainable forest project at the Pekan campus. The aim is to support sustainable campus development and the Zero Carbon Emission Campaign.
"UMP's achievements in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023, Times Higher Education Impact Rankings #301-400 and UIGreenMetric World University Rankings #128 show our commitment to the SDGs and underline the university's efforts in addressing environmental, social and governance issues."
STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Yuserrie said UMP always emphasised the student development agenda through involvement in volunteering and co-curricular empowerment to produce holistic students.
He said one way UMP prioritised students' welfare was by ensuring they get nutritious food through initiatives such as the UMP Campus Pantry and UMP Love Menu Set for those in need.
"More than 5,000 UMP students have benefited from the Food@Campus Keluarga Malaysia donation programme, which was initiated by the Higher Education Ministry in collaboration with other agencies."
He said UMP had developed a comprehensive Sustainable Campus Life Planning, covering food, dormitories, transportation and devices.
On the Siswa Sulung Keluarga Malaysia Development Programme to help B40 students who are the first in their family to pursue higher education, Yuserrie said the university focused on helping students enter university, which is in line with caretaker Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad's vision for the programme.
He said the UMP Foundation, previously known as MyGift UMP, set up in October 2016 to collect funds for UMP undergraduates' education and community programmes and providing extra studying facilities, has raised RM19.37 million.
"The fund is used for various purposes, including scholarship funding and the education incentive assistance scheme.
"The UMP Foundation also generates income through sales of
the special 'UC' vehicle registration numbers, collecting RM3 million since bidding opened in February.
"Funds from the sales go to various welfare programmes for students and those in need."
He said to help students with the high cost of rent, UMP provided student accommodation under the waqf concept at the Mawaddah Residential College at the Pekan campus, a joint effort between the campus management and the Pahang Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council.
17th UMP CONVOCATION
A total of 4,535 graduates — 251 doctor of philosophy and master's graduates, 3,065 bachelor's and diploma graduates and 1,219 UMP Advanced graduates — will receive their scrolls on Nov 5, 6 and 8 at the Gambang UMP Sports Complex.
RECOGNITIONS AND RANKINGS
l Twenty-two lecturers ranked among the world's "Top 2% Scientist" on the list of outstanding researchers in various fields and disciplines released by United States-based Stanford University
l QS World University Rankings 2023 (801-1000), 15th in Malaysia and highest in the Malaysian Technical University Network
l QS World University Rankings: Asia (2022) #129, ninth in Malaysia and the best in the Malaysian Technical University Network
l QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023 (401-450)
l Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 (#801-1000)
l Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023 by Subject — Business and Economics (301-400), Computer Sciences (401-500), Engineering (601-800) and Physical Sciences (501-600)
l Times Higher Education Impact Ranking 2022 (351-400) and eighth in Malaysia
l Best Global Universities Ranking 2022-2023 by US News & World Report, five best UMP subjects in the world — Energy and Fuels (161), Chemical Engineering (201), Engineering (256), Materials Science (634) and Chemistry (637)
l UMP's dual-degree programmes involve collaborations with German institutions like Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Mannheim University of Applied Sciences and Reutlingen University, as well as the Kazakh National Agrarian University in Kazakhstan and Beijing Jiaotong University and Tianjin University in China