JOHOR BAHRU: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will focus on strategies to be a Global Brand in order to stay competitive in the face of increasingly global challenge.
As part of its brand promise for the year to be innovative, entrepreneurial and global, UTM will continue with its differentiation and impactful strategies, targeting to be the top 50 in world ranking by 2020.
The criteria to be in the top 50 ranking entail the need for indepth and vibrant knowledge culture, outstanding and renowned academic excellence, and impactful and dynamic research innovation.
The Vice Chancellor also highlighted the composite index to be developed to become the top 50 university including enhancing quality, strengthening recognition, promoting uniqueness and providing affordable pricing.
Vice Chancellor Professor Dato’ Ir Dr Zaini Ujang said this during his New Year Address to the staff and students of the university.
He shares with the university community three phases of development and progress from 2011 to 2020 to improve and elevate UTM as a global player in the international education arena.
He said, the first phase from 2011 to 2014 is the alignment stage to be a global university, the second phase from 2015 to 2017 is to create high impact programmes and phase three from 2018 to 2020 is the era of strategic transformation focusing on advanced research.
“There has been a consistent commitment of UTM to become a major player in the field of higher education at the global stage. This includes increasing the number of postgraduate students, reducing the number of undergraduate students and enhancing the entrepreneurial spirit, mindset and strategies at all levels.
“The total number of postgraduates as at December last year was 10,888 compared to 4,850 in 2008, approaching the target to balance the number of undergraduate of 12,955, he said while delivering the new year message entitled “New Academia: UTM as a Global Brand 2012-2020 at the Senate Hall on 10 January.
Dr Zaini said, by 2020, UTM targets to have 70 percent or 14,000 postgraduates, with 7,000 of whom are Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students and the number of undergraduates will be reduced to 8,000.
“A few steps towards the reduction of undergraduates have begun to be implemented, such as mergers and review the courses offered at the undergraduate level.
“The action will give the opportunity to increase postgraduates to enhance research activities in line with the university objective to be an advanced research centre by 2020,” he added.
Vice Chancellor Zaini said, in order to achieve its goal, UTM must have top professors and students, sufficient research, development and operating grants.
Besides, academics need to produce high impact publications and high number of citations, increase international mobility, enhance synergy with industrial partners, increase the number of spin-off companies and have strong support from the alumni.
“To be an advanced higher learning institution UTM must shift from the conventional university towards becoming an Entrepreneurial Research University.
“We need to adopt the entrepreneurial university concept through innovative research undertakings with value-driven commercialisation initiatives to be independent and reduce dependence on the government.
“All research or innovation should be commercially oriented. Labs and Centers of Excellence need to generate revenue through collaboration with external parties,” he cited.
The Vice Chancellor also highlighted that the strategic thrusts of 2011 will be continued in 2012. This is in relation to organizational development, creating a stimulating, entrepreneurial and quality learning environment, promoting a dynamic intellectual ecosystem and encouraging a cheerful, healthy and sustainable campus.
In addition, it is worth noting that UTM currently has 4,435 of international students which is the highest among Research University compared to other Research Universities in Malaysia.
The university’s Endowment collection has exceeded the target since it first started, but efforts towards increasing the Fund should be continued with the university community being more aware of the need to enhance the culture of giving for a good cause to enhance scholarly and academic undertakings and initiatives.
The Vice Chancellor also highlighted the need for UTM to adopt the Blue Ocean Strategy to make competition irrelevant, create uncontested market space, create and capture new demands, break the value/cost trade off and align the whole organization in pursuit of differentiation and low cost.
Based on the concept of New Academia, UTM adopts a different perspective and mindset in its strategies and approaches as problems should be seen as opportunities which require new approaches to creativity and innovation. There is a need to break out of the traditional, hierarchical model and to go beyond the limits and way above the horizon to make a difference.