As a passionate educator and social entrepreneur, I strongly believe that no one should be denied access to affordable quality education. Access to public universities are limited while access to education through private universities can be unreachable and expensive to many under-privileged students. Being a not-for-profit university, I established MSU Foundation (Yayasan MSU) through which I am able to provide scholarships to deserving under-privileged students and communities. I have allocated about RM21 million annually for this purpose to local and international students as an enabler for these students to complete their studies, graduate and being employed so that they will be able to support their families and leave the poverty cycle. To-date 1,432 students have benefited and many more will continue to benefit in the future.

Besides providing financial assistance to under-privileged students, MSU Foundation has sponsored major surgeries at MSU Medical Centre. For example: a 22 hours facial reconstructive surgery on an adult male for adenocystic carcinoma of the left maxilla (locally invasive affecting the left eye, whole of his nose, frontal and ethmodial and the other - a girl born with omphalocele (exomphalos) major. Both successful surgeries have allowed both patients to lead a better life. Both surgeries would have cost the patients RM223,000 which is way beyond their financial capabilities to pay but I chose to bear all the costs as part of our contribution to the under-privileged and our commitment to our 2Gs culture of Giving and Gratitude.

Education is beyond business. Yes, I manage MSU like any other business enterprise to ensure its sustainability. Education is about unlocking potentials, transforming lives – not merely a profit-making entity. Profit come as a consequence but not the goal. My vision is to establish an accessible, affordable and sustainable education ecosystem where quality is not compromise. It is an ecosystem that produce a holistic, balanced and well-rounded graduates who will contribute to the nation. These graduates are not only excellent academically but have fundamental universal values such as, integrity, inter-cultural intelligence, gratitude and giving back to communities. This ecosystem will also provide spill-over economic and social impact to the surrounding communities that MSU serves.

Education is a marathon not a sprint. The fruits of labour come after many years of nourishing and experimenting with the ecosystem. What you reap depends on the intention of what you sow. I chose to sow the seeds that will transform lives and enrich the future of my graduates, the teams that are with me and the larger communities that we engaged with. It is a philosophy that looks beyond the financial returns. One also need to have the passion, patience and resilient to battle the ever-changing landscapes of education. Keep up with the latest global trends in pedagogy, technology, societal and economic demand to ensure relevancy and adaptability of curriculum and able to provide a holistic learning experience. Overall, keep the organization agile and collaborative to ensure the growth and sustainability of the organization.

The success for the future is about collaborative partnership. The many inefficiencies in the education ecosystems has resulted in duplication of resources, underutilization of facilities and human expertise and wastage of financial resources. My mission is to promote and strengthen collaborative public-private partnership where institutions can seamlessly tap into each other’s strengths and advantages that will create competitive advantage not only for the institutions but also the nation as a whole.

Another collaborative partnership is between the University and industrial partners. I shall enhance the partnership in the areas of research and commercialization, global mobility, curriculum development, employability and entrepreneurship. This will ensure that the curriculum and learning experience of the graduates are aligned with the needs of the industry and the nation. A fully aligned ecosystem will ensure high employability, adequate supply of manpower for the nation, reduced wastage in financial resources for re-training and providing a rich ecosystem for research and commercialization. Third agenda for the future is about internationalization. It is about bringing out the university to the world and bringing in the world into the university. Internalization will be about increasing our offshore campuses to bring about our brand of education philosophy to the rest of the world. It also means bringing in the international diversity and experiences into our own campuses through international faculty members and students.

Fourth is about Talent Management for succession planning and sustainability of the University. I shall invest greatly in their talent development to ensure their readiness for the future.