JOHOR BAHRU, 4 Sept 2012 – UTM welcomes its new students and the whole student community back to campus for the start of the 2012/2013 academic year with good news of its position in the recently released global QS World University Rankings 2012.
The university tops other higher learning institutions in Malaysia in the subject-based QS rankings for engineering and technology from 190 in 2011 to 164 this year, proving its mettle as the premier engineering and technology based university in the country. In terms of its overall ranking, UTM moves 43 positions up the ladder to 358, a remarkable jump compared to other institutions in Malaysia.
The leap in the university’s position is an indication of the university’s commitment to become a strong global brand in response to challenging times and stiff competition globally.
UTM is in the first phase of development under the UTM Global 2020 Plan, the university’s strategic initiative in transforming itself to be an established global brand in higher education by 2020.
The university’s current focus is on developing international recognition and impactful positioning through strategic projects that promote innovative and entrepreneurial elements in teaching, learning and research, such as transformation projects to improve focus and operations of the university, engaging with renowned partners in strategic collaboration such as establishing the Oxford-UTM Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, introducing microcredit facilities for students and staff in setting up companies, engaging students in Job Creation projects and providing seed funds for students and staff to go abroad for short-term mobility programmes and sabbatical leave as part of Global Outreach.
The university is also intensifying efforts to strengthen relations with its stakeholders, in particular its academia-industry collaboration as well as international collaborations with foreign counterparts in research activities. Current initiatives include the Proton Technology Advisory Council in partnership with Proton, appointment of distinguished visiting professors and industrial representatives for research collaboration and involvement as academic advisory panel, and regional collaboration within the ASEAN member countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, among others.
The improvement in rankings is a cause to rejoice for UTM, showing that its efforts have made a difference. It is also worth noting that the university is on the right track in realizing its goal to be one of the top research-intensive universities in the country, with a niche focus in engineering and technology.