Friday, March 31, 2006

UM VC Appointment Ding Dongs

Hmm... impressive. Our local English dailies trying to outdo each other in their reports on the to-be-vacant position at Universiti Malaya (UM). Two days ago, the Star first reported a shortlist of 6-8 candidates - trumping the New Straits Times (NST) who are usually on top in news on the higher education in the country. Then the NST came up with an alleged announcement that Dr Sharifah Hapsah has been appointed the first woman vice-chancellor of UM and the country. But that's not the end of it. Today, as rightly pointed out by a reader earlier, the Star published that whatever NST reported the day before was absolute rubbish!

What drama! I really wonder what NST will rebut tomorrow. Hmmm...

Anyway, the Star reported that:
Universiti Malaya deputy vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Razali Agus has been appointed acting vice-chancellor following the departure of Prof Datuk Dr Hashim Yaacob, whose tenure, has ended... The ministry said it was currently looking for a suitable candidate to head the university and an announcement would be made in a month.
That's possibly a good piece of news for it appears that there is some indication that the Ministry of Higher Education is putting a little more effort to select the right candidate to replace the soon-to-be former vice-chancellor of UM.

Just possibly, Dr Terence Gomez's little wish that a proper search committee is set up (or some way towards a "proper" one) might come true. Dr Gomez, currently on unpaid leave from UM, working at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in Geneva, supported the call by the secretary of the Universiti Malaya Academic Staff Association, Rosli Omar's for the institutionalisation of an independent search and evaluation committee for vice-chancellors.
Rosli's public appeal for the creation of an independent committee to review the performance of vice-chancellors and to appoint competent and respected academics to this important post is courageous and timely.
I expect that the current impasse over the appointment of the new vice-chancellor as well as the surprising news "deviation" between the two of the country's mainstream English newspapers to indicate that there is a tussle on-going behind the scenes. More interestingly, if we were to read between the lines, the out-going vice-chancellor did indicate in an earlier report, that the Prime Minister was responsible for the non-renewal of his contract.
"I'm sure the decision made by the Prime Minister is for the best," he said.
Maybe I'm just reading a little too much into this, but could it possibly be the Prime Minister nudging the Ministry of Higher Education to conduct a independent and thorough search for the best man (or woman) for the task at Universiti Malaya? After all, this search and evaluation committee will surely meet with less resistance and political implications than the other hotly debated and controversial committee?

Here's hoping just a little.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512386

"Families earning less than $60,000 a year will no longer be expected to pay for their children to attend Harvard, school officials announced yesterday."

This applies to international students like us Malaysians too.

Yale has a similar policy that also covers international students

Anonymous said...

Is this an April Fool joke?

Anonymous said...

Is http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512386 ('Harvard Will Be Free for Families Earning Under $60K')an April Fool joke?

Anonymous said...

I get the following mandarin news from http://www.thefreemedia.com/my.
Maybe some body help help to translate it into English
;

高等教育部昨天发表文告表示,高教部委任马大学生事务处署理副校长Razali Agus为马大代校长,任期为一个月。

Razali Agus具有非常明显的党派背景和倾向。他在还未担任马大学生事务处署理副校长之前,已经是马大校方每年负责操盘校园选举的舵手了。在校园选举期间,他一直扮演亲校方派系的幕后指挥,以及约见亲学生派系领袖,对他们进行"爱国教育"促使他们跳槽变节的说客工作。

现任马大学生事务处助理册官章盛国原本是亲学生派系的前学生代表,就是在Razali Agus的怂恿下脱离亲学生派系,成立另一个亲校方的华裔学生政治团体,来协助校方达成以学生制学生,以华裔生分裂华裔生,并灌输华裔生族群本位主义,以方便马大校方实行分而治之的隐议程。

大学领导层的人事安排一向充满黑箱作业,虽然坊间谣传将会有一位女性学术人员受委为新任马大校长,可是只要一天高教部还未拍板敲定人选对外作出正式的宣布,一切仍然充满变数。更何况巫青团一直积极渗透大学校园,他们会允许一位背景清白、立场中立,可能阻拦巫青进一步收编学生势力的人士主掌最具大专生政治思潮指标意义的马大校园吗?

很可能,巫统内部以及马大校园内各方游说分配职务升迁蛋糕的政治动员和拉锯战才刚刚开始。别忘了,贵为一国之首的首相都可以在承诺成立警察独立投诉和调查委员长后反悔,更何况只有满街谣言,而高等教育部长还未亲口证实的委任消息?

根据近年来国立大学的职务升迁传统,大学校长通常会在3名大学署理副校长中产生。而极具野心的Razali Agus受委为代校长期间,他拥有非常大的权力和资源来为自己争取出位的结果铺路。

Source of news:
http://www.thefreemedia.com/my/index.php/news/12785

Anonymous said...

Let us campaign to have Dr Azmi Sharom, the deputy dean of Law Faculty UM as the new VC!

Anonymous said...

Yo, i translated the article using Babelfish:

Ministry of higher education yesterday published the proclamation to indicate that, the higher education department appointed the horse university student business department to hold as acting appointment Assistant Director Razali Agus is Principal Ma Dadai, the tenure in office is a month. Razali Agus has the extremely obvious parties and groups background and the tendency. He in has not held the post the horse university student business department holds as acting appointment in front of assistant director, already was the helmsman which the horse big school authorities responsibly holds the plate campus election every year. In campus election period, he continuously acts kisses the school authorities clique the pulling strings from behind the sce, as well as makes an appointment with kisses the student clique leaders, carries on "to them patriotically to educate the persuasive speaker work which" urges them to change job makes a political recantation. Incumbent horse university student business department assistant book official Zhang Shengguo originally is the front student representative which kisses the student clique under, is instigates in Razali Agus is separated from kisses the student clique, establishes another to kiss the school authorities the person of Chinese descent student politics association, assists the school authorities to achieve to the student makes the student, to the person of Chinese descent lives splits the person of Chinese descent to live, and instills into the person of Chinese descent fresh race group selfish departmentalism, facilitates the horse big school authorities to implement divides and rules hides the agenda. The university leadership's human affairs arrange always to fill the black box work, although between the work place was rumored that will be able to have a feminine academic personnel to entrust for incumbent Principal Ma Da, but so long as a day high ministry of education has not beaten time makes a final decision the candidate foreign to make the official announcement, all still filled the variable. Much less Wu Qingtuan continuously positively seeps the university campus, they can allow a background to be pure, the standpoint neutrality, possibly stops Wu Qing further to incorporate the student influence public figure to manage most has the junior college student politics ideological trend target significance the horse big campus? Very possible, the witch series interior as well as in the horse big campus all quarters solicit assignment duty was promoted the cake political mobilization and the seesaw battle only then just starts. Did not forget, was expensive is head of country prime ministers all may establish the police after the pledge independently to sue and investigates chairman to renege on a promise, much less only had the full street rumor, but higher education minister also not personally confirmed appoints the news? Was promoted the tradition according to the recent years national university's duty, university principal usually can hold as acting appointment in assistant director in 3 universities to produce. But extremely has the ambition Razali Agus entrusts for generation of principal the period, he has the extremely big authority and the resources comes the result which strives for oneself goes too far to pave the way for

Anonymous said...

Sorry if it sounds a bit weird :S

Anonymous said...

some of the terms translated could be a little confusing. just to clear things up, "principal ma dadai" should be translated as acting deputy VC, "wu qing tuan"/"wu qing" is UMNO youth.
actually, "ma da" is UM, if anyone was asking.

Anonymous said...

harvard and yale is free for families earning below $60k. If im not mistaken, Princeton too.