Taylor's now a University

PETALING JAYA: Taylor’s University College has now officially been conferred University status by the Higher Education Ministry. Announced on Sept 29, the recognition is another milestone in Taylor’s history since it started operating from 1969.

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According to The Star, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the university had met all the criteria before being awarded the university status. He said the university could perform well if it focused on niche areas, such as business management, hospitality, engineering and technology.

Expressing a sense of achievement, Taylor’s University Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Hassan Said said it was an honour for Taylor’s to be given the recognition.

“We are very excited and honored with the recognition given by the Ministry to upgrade us from a university college to a full-fledged university.

“This recognition will boost our confidence to be one of the most respectable private higher education institutions in the country and put us in a better platform in positioning ourselves internationally,” he told the inkslingers.

According to Prof Hassan, the current student population at the Lakeside Campus is 9,400, including 100 postgraduates and 2,060 international students. The target student population is 15,000 by 2015, inclusive of 4,500 international students, and 20,000 by 2020.

“Recently we were rated as an excellent university college under the Ministry of Higher Education’s SETARA rating system. We are in Tier 5, along with 17 other top public and private universities,” Prof Hassan added.

He also said that among other priorities, Taylor’s would also emphasize on university expansion plans, such as teaching and commercial blocks, which would be ready over the next two years.

“We will strive further to produce excellent graduates for the world, to make them more relevant to the workplace, most sought after by the employers and sharpening their capability to become future global leaders,” he said.

“Taylor’s began its 10-year mission back in 2005 to achieve University status, and within one year it already achieved the position of University College before getting the University status this year,” Taylor’s University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Pradeep Nair said.

“As an international institution now, we will be focusing more on Research and Development and creating our own undergraduate and postgraduate programs,” he said.

By: Gavaskar Brian Rajand Mariam Abbas (26.10.10)