KUANTAN: Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP) has added another feather to its cap after emerging as the first local technical and non-research university to receive the prestigious QS 5-star overall rating award in the 2018 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Star Rating System.
The QS Star rating reflects the high qualities of teaching, research, community services, and globalisation at UMP besides performing well in the advanced criteria of QS Star ratings, namely “innovation” and “inclusiveness.”
UMP’s Vice-Chancellor, Datuk Seri Dr Daing Nasir Ibrahim, said the latest achievement is at par with UMP’s aspiration to become a state-of-the-art technical university by 2020 which will receive not only local but also recognitions from abroad.
He said instead of being satisfied with their latest feat, UMP will continue to strive forward to ensure its students and curriculum are ready to meet the future demands and challenges.
Since it began to provide services in the tertiary education industry some 16 years ago, he said UMP has always been at the forefront, particularly in the technological and engineering sector.
“As part of the objective of the Education Ministry to produce high-quality education system, nine faculties and one language center in UMP are ready to offer a wide range of skills and practical-based tertiary education in the fields of engineering and technology,” he said, adding UMP is currently ranked in the top 2.4 percent universities in the 2018 QS Asia University Rankings.
In a bid to reinforce the movement, Daing said new programmes are established in areas such as Business Engineering, Process Plant Operation, and Mining & Mineral Technology.
He said UMP has been working closely with the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and Reutlingen University in Germany, as well as the Northern Illinois University in USA, for dual-degree programmes.
Daing said 95 percent of UMP graduates have been employed upon graduating last year, and the graduate employability encompasses beyond academic strength, focusing on “work-readiness” – the ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural team, deliver presentations, and manage people and projects.
“In the QS Stars criteria of employability, UMP achieved maximum points by scoring 150 with five stars. This shows that UMP receives relatively high endorsement from employers on its graduates readiness and competency when they enter the job market,” he said.
Since being appointed as the UMP Vice-Chancellor, Daing has embarked on a massive administrative and management transformation agenda in steering the operational ecosystem of the university.
His exceptionally good management style is value-based, strategy-focused, and performance-driven as he has successfully guided UMP through the strategic phases for 2008-2010 and 2011-2015, and he is currently focusing on implementing and accomplishing UMP Strategic Plan 2016-2020.
UMP has received a string of acknowledgements including five-star ratings in Malaysia Research Assessment (MyRA), the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2017 (SETARA), the Ministry of Higher Education Star Ratings 2017 (MyMoheS), and the Management Excellence Award 2016 based on the Malaysian Auditor-General’s Financial Management Accountability Index.
The Pahang-based university has also emerged as the top university among 15 Asian universities with high publication growth rate in Engineering as reported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2013, and has been ranked world’s 58th by UI GreenMetric World University Ranking in 2016.