University Inc. gets down to business

The incorporation of the University of Malaya will mean key academic and non-academic staff will need expertise in corporate planning, investment analysis, portfolio management and managing business ventures if they are to meet future challenges, according to vice chancellor Datuk Dr Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad.

Dr Abdullah said that as members of "the first university in the country to be corporatised, the campus community would need to be prepared to meet the new challenges and the impact changes would have on working practices".

The new administrative and financial flexibility given to university management would mean it could generate part of its income just like any other business. Dr Abdullah said the move "would certainly put the university on a new and vibrant footing".

The induction programme would include subjects such as educational psychology, principles of teaching, counselling, professional ethics, curriculum design, creative thinking, computers in education and motivation in education.

Dr Abdullah said business leaders complained of the mismatch between the backgrounds and knowledge of graduates and the needs of industry and commerce.

This meant that universities "cannot work in isolation. Should they want to remain competitive, they need to listen to the needs of the community and relevant economic sectors".