Director-General of the Department of Higher Education hands over the university registration certificate to Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences after delivering a Distinguished Lecture on the future of higher education in Malaysia.   

Cyberjaya, 29^th
October – Cyberjaya
University College of Medical Sciences or better known as CUCMS, has been
accorded university status by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia, making it
the nation’s newest university. The Certificate of Registration was formally
handed over by YBhg. Datuk Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir, the
Director-General of the Department of Higher Education to the new university’s
Pro Chancellor YBhg Tan Sri Dr R Palan, Chairman of the Board of Governors
YBhg. Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Ridzwan Bakar and Vice Chancellor YBhg Prof. Dato’ Dr
Mohamad Abd Razak.

The institution will
now be known as the University of Cyberjaya. The
Pro-Chancellor of the University of Cyberjaya, Tan Sri Dr R. Palan said the
elevation to full university status marks a significant milestone for the
establishment’s growing stature as a leading institute of higher learning in
the region. “In
many ways, university status is a much more accurate reflection of how we have
functioned for the past 15 years now. With our comprehensive offering of
undergraduate, graduate including our expansion to doctoral programmes — University
of Cyberjaya’s educational profile is already well-positioned with the academic
distinction of a nationally and internationally recognized private university”

The University of
Cyberjaya holds a SETARA 5-Star rating by the Ministry of Education awarded in
2017 and was just recently awarded a 5-Star rating for the categories of
Teaching, Facilities, Employability and Inclusiveness under the QS Stars
programme produced by the publishers of the QS World University Rankings.

First established over 14 years ago, the
institution initially offered medical and pharmaceutical programmes only. It
has since grown to offer over 30 different programmes in the areas of medical,
pharmaceutical, applied sciences, engineering and business. With its recent
change in status, the University of Cyberjaya intends to increase its focus
more on developing programmes that will incorporate critical elements in
support of Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) in more traditional disciplines
such as healthcare. This is in support of the Global Technology Hub Blueprint
for Cyberjaya launched by the Ministry of Finance.

“Healthcare is changing fast with new IR4.0
technologies being constantly adopted, and the we need to be at the forefront
of new practices and discoveries in healthcare”, said Prof Dato’ Dr. Mohamad
Abd Razak, President of University of Cyberjaya. “With our historic background
in healthcare, I believe biomedical engineering, wearable technologies and
innovation in drug technology are potential fields of expertise for us”, he
further added.

Prof Dato’ Dr. Mohamad
Abd Razak, attributes this achievement to the university leadership team,
academicians and all the staff that has shown tremendous hard work, sacrifices
and commitment for the past 14 years. “We have come a long way and have brought
together a strong faculty team led by experienced education professionals and
academics with both local and international experiences, providing the perfect
combination to take the university to greater heights” he added.

The proclamation of the
university status was held today at the University’s Grand Hall in conjunction
with a Distinguished Lecture delivered by YBhg. Datuk Ir. Dr.
Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir, the Director-General of the Department of Higher
Education at the Ministry of Education Malaysia.

YBhg. Datuk Ir. Dr.
Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir spoke at the campus to an audience of 600 people
about the challenges and evolution of higher education in Malaysia following
the recent presentation of Budget 2020 by the government.

She stressed that our world is growing
increasingly complex at a rapid pace. The software revolution is
reshaping the economy, with 50% of existing jobs expected to be replaced by
software and automation. “We have to move away from traditional conference-based
lessons and create authentic learning experiences that connect
students with real-world problems and work environments” she said.

Moving forward, YBhg. Datuk
Ir. Dr. Siti Hamisah binti Tapsir also spoke on the Higher Education’s
initiative to reduce the graduate unemployment rate in Malaysia. There are currently 144,000 unemployed graduates
in the country. Though an improvement of 7.1% from 2012, she wants the Ministry
of Higher Education to adopt a culture of innovation and promote greater
collaboration and interaction with technological devices so more of our
graduates can be employed.

She concluded the distinguished lecture by stating
that Higher Education providers need to transform how they deliver learning and
respond more to the needs of real-world work.

The audiences consisted
of Vice Chancellors, Presidents and CEO’s of several prominent Malaysian
institutions of higher education as well as leading academicians and
researchers. Over 200 students from the University of Cyberjaya were also
present.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CYBERJAYA

The University of Cyberjaya, formerly known as Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences, is a top tier Malaysian university focusing on health science, business and technology programmes. The university has been rated as 5-Star (Excellent) by the Ministry of Education Malaysia and also received 5-Star ratings for the Teaching, Facilities, Employability & Inclusiveness under the QS Stars awarded by the publishers of the QS World University Rankings. Strategically located on a modern, fully equipped 5-acre campus at the heart of Cyberjaya, the university currently has over 4000 students who are enrolled in more than 28 programmes ranging from degree to postgraduate research courses in areas such as medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, psychology, homeopathic medical sciences, physiotherapy, occupational safety and health, biomedical engineering technology, business management, accounting, information technology and more. The university can be contacted at +603 8313 7000 or via email at inquiry@cybermed.edu.my.

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