DIES National Multiplication Training (NMT) for University Administrators 2021/2022

The DIES National Multiplication Trainings (NMT) For University Administrators 2021/2022 was held from 7 to 10 December 2021. Organised by UTAR, in collaboration with Multimedia University (MMU) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), and supported by the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the event aimed to engage university administrators for effective university management in the changing environment. It also aimed to explore the various aspects of university management among the non-academic staff in the changing environment, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The highlight of the training programme was a forum titled “University Management: The Roles of Non-Academic Administrators”. The forum took place on 7 December 2021. A total of 20 university administrators, holding managerial positions, from seven public and four private higher education institutions in Malaysia were selected to attend the training. 

The panellists invited for the forum were UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, Prof Dato’ Ir Dr Mohd Marzuki Mustafa from UKM, former registrar of University Malaya Dr Susheela Nair and UTAR Registrar Yim Lin Heng. The forum was moderated by Prof Dr Ong Duu Sheng from MMU.

Prof Cheng giving her welcome remarks

Institute of Management and Leadership Development Director-cum-Programme Coordinator Prof Dr Cheng Ming Yu said in her welcome remarks, “On behalf of the organising committee, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you. My heartfelt congratulations to all the participants for being selected to join this DIES National Multiplication Training for University Administrators 2021/2022. I hope you will find this programme fruitful and beneficial.”

Prof Ewe during the opening ceremony

Prof Ewe said during the opening ceremony, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank the training committee for putting the effort to organise this training programme. This has always been a unique programme, including the ones held before. This programme not only requires the participants to sit and listen, but also put things into action and plan. I hope you will share and learn from each other the best practices and approaches through the discussion sessions.”

DAAD Malaysia Director Brian giving his speech

DAAD Malaysia Director Brian Trenaman said, “With UTAR’s vision to be a global university of educational excellence with transformative societal impact, the DAAD considers UTAR to be a perfect host for the upcoming training and workshops. Change is the inevitable nature of our planet, societies, communities and our personal works. Yet the current pandemic has shown us that we, as a global community, need to be even more highly adaptable and willing to constantly change in order to stay ahead. Hence, the DAAD regards the inevitable as something to embrace for the betterment of mankind. We believe in just, peaceful, open and democratic societies. And we know that academia can build bridges over national borders, beyond race, religion and gender.”

The first speaker to present at the forum was Prof Ewe. He spoke about “University Management in the Changing Environment: Opportunities and Challenges for University Administrators”. Prof Ewe began his session by sharing the challenges experienced by the university during the pandemic. The challenges include holding e-Convocation for the first time, handling online classes, testing suitable platforms for online teaching and learning as well as providing training for the academics. He emphasised the need for participants to have a growth mindset and willingness to learn new things to overcome challenges and solve new problems. He also addressed the importance of human-to-human interaction which is crucial for this AI era.

The participants during the forum

The following session saw Prof Dato’ Marzuki presenting on “The Synergy between Academic and Non-Academic Administrators for Effective Higher Education Management”. He explained how academics and non-academics can work together harmoniously. He stressed on the importance of working as one family and respecting each other. He also advised participants to be knowledgeable by being competent in their work and taking extra effort to learn more. He ended his session by sharing the importance of earning and giving respect to each other.

Dr Susila began her session by explaining the “Roles of University Administrators”. According to her, the roles of university administrators include contributing to the broader university aspirations and strategic directions; supporting the university’s academic endeavour directly or indirectly; positioning the university for competitive advantage; providing world-class support functions befitting a premier university in tandem with the changing higher education landscape; and collectively contributing to the same vision and goals regardless of scheme/grade/classification. She also spoke about strategic thinking, transformational leadership and service excellence.

Panellists and moderator (from left): Prof Ong (moderator), Yim, Prof Ewe, Dr Susila and Prof Dato’ Marzuki

UTAR Registrar Yim spoke about the university administrators in general where she shared an overall summary of the academic administration and the non-academic administration. According to her, academics consist of the vice chancellor, deputy vice chancellor, dean of faculties, head of academic departments, professor and lecturer whereas non-academics consist of the registrar, directors of non-academic divisions, heads of non-academic departments, general managers, managers and assistant managers. She also explained that academics take on the main role to ensure academic excellence while non-academic staff play a supporting role to ensure academic excellence.

The forum ended with an interactive Q&A session.

Front row, from left: Prof Dato’ Marzuki, Dr Susila, Prof Ewe, Yim with training committee and participants

The training programme also featured two workshops; Workshop 1 and Workshop 2. Workshop 1 was held over a four-day period from 7 to 10 December 2021 at UTAR Sungai Long Campus. The workshop provided a platform for participants to explore and debate on critical issues related to university management, in addition to developing networks and sharing ideas and experiences. Among the topics discussed during the workshop include Personal Growth and Development, Innovative Problem Solving, Project Management, Effective Communication, Crisis Management and Coping with Change, and Success Factors in Project Management.

The four-day workshop was filled with interactive discussions, activities and presentations. The workshops were led by the training committee and invited speakers, namely Prof Dr Stefanie Pillai from University Malaya and Dr Hjh Ina Md Yasin from UKM. The participants were also given the opportunity to visit the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Gallery at UTAR, hosted by the Head of Chinese Medicine Department Assoc Prof Dr Te Kian Keong.

Workshop 1 of the DIES NMT for University Administrator 2021/2022 concluded on 10 December 2021 with the presentation of the Certificate of Participation to each participant.  The workshop benefited the participants in many ways, especially in networking and sharing ideas, experiences and best practices. While looking forward to attending Workshop 2 in May 2022, the participants are excited to embark on their PAP implementation in their respective institutions.

The DIES programme was introduced in 2001. It was jointly coordinated by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This DIES National Multiplication Trainings (NMT) For University Administrators 2021/2022 was designed and organised by the training committee consisting of Prof Cheng, Prof Ong, Prof Dr Andanastuti Muchtar (UKM) and Dr Jutta Fedrowitz, an expert from the Centre for Higher Education, Germany.

Training and discussion in progress