Changing the Mindsets of Private Universities: The Case of the International University of Malaya-Wales (IUMW)
IUMW is a commercial university borne out of partnership between University of Malaya and University of Wales. Established in 2012, the university has now 1,800 students from forty countries across its 5 faculties. In order to sustain growth, its needs to reduce reliance on state-sponsored students and instead secure a revenue stream from industry and self-funded students. IUMW has to move away from the traditional university model and avoid the pitfalls of rising overheads. This requires the right leadership, commercial acumen and responsiveness to market changes. Operating in a heavily-regulated and highly competitive industry, shifting the mindset and behaviour of its workforce is a constant challenge. How will IUMW redefine itself?
The Rise of Malaysian Private Universities in Quality and World Ranking: Implications and Impact
It is without doubt that the current sentiment of the Malaysian population is that the higher education system leaves much to be desired. The government is struggling to fulfil its election manifesto, and promises to reshape the education system is not going as smoothly as expected. While there are contentious issues to be dealt with at the school level, universities in Malaysia are facing serious challenges too, such as the study loan scheme; graduate employability; and research, innovation and entrepreneurship capability. Interestingly, a number of private institutions are rising above these challenges. Not only do they have high graduate employability and innovation output, these successful private institutions are setting ambitious goals to position themselves in world university rankings. In recent years, their steady rise on the global stage has been evident. How have they been able to do this when their counterparts in the public institutions are struggling?
