Publication on The Star - "Preparing students for global challenges"

WHEN it comes to having a global community, few universities in Malaysia can match Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU).

The campus has about 10,000 students from more than 105 countries, said APU marketing operations manager Chong Sau Mun.

“With so many nationalities, we celebrate many cultural events such as the Myanmar Water Festival, Navruz celebration and the Independence Days of all the countries our students come from.”

On the average, he said, APU celebrates at least one cultural festival nearly every semester week.

The student population, he added, offers a truly cosmopolitan learning environment which prepares students well for the global challenges which lie ahead.

“The diversity in our student population exposes each of them to a borderless world environment. Through group work in their academic assignments, they mingle with students from other countries and the experiences are something that cannot be easily found anywhere else.

“It is our aim to nurture and encourage innovation through the programmes, with the intention of producing individuals who will learn, adapt and think differently in new and better ways.

“The diverse social and racial culture of our student population has been key to helping our students bring out the best of themselves,” said Chong.

APU is among the highest rated private universities in the country, being rated at Tier 5 (Excellent) under the Setara 2011 Ratings by the Ministry of Higher Education and Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

Its wide range of undergraduate and post-graduate degrees has technology and business as their core.

APU’s Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in information technology, for example, has a commanding range of specialisations. Students can opt to pursue this degree with one of seven specialisations including information systems security, database administration, intelligent systems, forensic computing, mobile technology, network computing and business information systems.

The special focuses of APU degrees are also reflected in its school of business and management.

APU’s Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree offers specialisation in e-business, social media, tourism management, international business management and media informatics, to name a few.

“Our focus is to give students an industry relevant edge. By specialising in what they learn, they’ll find much better chances of building a strong career after they graduate.”

Chong also said that APU’s new high-tech campus in Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, would be completed by the end of the year and fully operational by the first half of next year.

Once ready, APU’s student body will increase by 300%, as the new campus can hold an additional 20,000 students, he said.

Originally established as the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology (APIIT) in 1993 and Asia Pacific University College of Technology & Innovation (UCTI) in 2004, the new campus will make APU one of the largest private universities in the country.

It is fully owned by the APIIT Education Group, which also runs the Asia Pacific International School, Asia Pacific Smart Schools and Asia Pacific Language Centre.

APU will be at The Star Education Fair 2014 to showcase its full range of specialised degrees.

The two-day fair from Saturday will be held at the Subterranean Penang International Convention and Exhibition Centre (formerly known as PISA) in Relau from 11am to 7pm.

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The entire article and photo above was published on The Star on Thursday, 27 March 2014.

Source: http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2014/03/27/Preparing-students-for-global-challenges/