Oleh: Azman Zakaria
Foto: Noor Azreen Awang
SERDANG, Feb 15 - Vice Chancellor of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Prof. Datin Paduka Dato' Dr. Aini Ideris urged UPM staff to maintain the excellence and authority achieved by the university by boosting high quality workplace culture, responsible autonomy, collaborative spirit and internationalisation strategy.
She added that since her appointment as the Vice Chancellor in January 2016, she was proud of UPM’s achievements which she described as comprehensive, ranging from its world ranking recognition to its meaningful contributions to the community, industry and country.
"UPM’s achievements were not easy to achieve. They were the result of relentless determination, dedication and goodwill embraced by the members of the university. UPM had established its own tradition of excellence," she said during the Vice Chancellor’s 2019 New Year Address, themed “Goodwill, Integrity and Authority” today.
Hence, she said that UPM's achievements and excellence should be steered to a higher level through a comprehensive transformation plan that will make a breakthrough in the future.
She also said that the Transformation Plan which was currently being streamlined encompassed five key areas of effectiveness that acted as a catalyst which would catapult UPM into a more excellent, relevant and effective university and also a favourite amongst the students.
Prof. Datin Paduka Dato' Dr. Aini said the transformation involved changes in the actions, attitudes and environment which needed to take place systematically and through a specific planning phase to enable the desired results.
Thus, she believed that the success of UPM’s transformation required full commitment and active involvement from all UPM staff and stakeholders to build a continuous transformational momentum that produced a holistic impact.
She also commented that the discourses on goodwill, integrity and authority were critical as UPM needed to seek new narratives to ensure that its achievements and excellence were truly meaningful and to be proud of."In our pursuit of excellence, we need to uphold high integrity and work ethics. There is no shortcut to success," she said.
She said that if the principles of transparency, accountability and integrity as well as good governance were applied in daily work routine, these can form a solid foundation for a trusted, revered and subsequently relevant institution of authority.
"We not only want to see UPM at the height of excellence, but also to be an authority especially when given recognition by external entities and revered for the expertise of its staff and students,” she said.
Prof. Datin Paduka Dato' Dr. Aini also said that academics need to produce quality publications especially high impact research that can be used as reference materials in the exploration of knowledge, not only at the regional level, but also globally.
She said that high-impact research would not only benefit the academia but also the community.
She further added that the role of UPM could no longer be dependent on the output context. Instead, it should focus on welfare as the university's third generation mission focuses on the university's contribution in the context of knowledge transfer and the country’s wealth creation. She added that UPM’s wealth had contributed in the development and well-being of the country, and this was also successfully assisted by UPM Bintulu Campus (UPMKB).
In this regard, she said that in the effort to strengthen the role and contribution of UPMKB, improvements of the academic programmes will be implemented in stages, with two bachelor programmes, namely Bachelor of Science Honours in Industrial Chemistry and Bachelor of Human Development Science and Management to be offered in the 2019/2020 session together with the Master of Technology (Renewable Energy) programme through course work. - UPM
