SINTOK, 16 January 2025: Following the Vice-Chancellor’s 2025 New Year’s Address, six events were launched on Thursday morning at the Auditorium of the School of International Studies (SoIS).
The events were officiated by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan, who was accompanied by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof. Dr Russayani Ismail; the Registrar, Mr. Ahmad Rasidi Abdullah and Director of the Innovation and Commercialisation Centre (ICC), Assoc. Prof. Ts. Dr Mohd Faizal Omar.
The first event marked the launch of the UUM Volunteer Talent Programme (SUKA UUM), a collaborative initiative between the Human Resources Department and the School of Applied Psychology, Policy and Social Work (SAPSP). This programme aims to equip volunteers with knowledge, theoretical understanding and diverse leadership competencies. This programme specifically trains leaders to dedicate their energy, time and skills in activities that benefit the local community, both within UUM and its surrounding areas.
To commemorate the launch, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan presented certificates to the programme coordinator and the leaders of each participating volunteer group.
The second event was the implementation of the Protection Security Statement Policy, which follows the Protection Security Compliance Inspectorate conducted by the Office of the Chief Security Officer at UUM on 29 April 2024. The Malaysian Government’s Chief Government Security Office (CGSO) announced this policy to ensure compliance with the Guidelines Assessment of Protection Security Levels in Government Departments.
In this regard, Mdm. Faizah Hashim, the Administrative Officer, formally acknowledged the statement as symbol of the policy’s implementation at UUM.
The third event involved the presentation of UUM Student Welfare Assistance, which encompasses Living Expense Assistance, Disaster Assistance, Death Benefit Assistance, Tuition Fee Assistance and Laptop Assistance.
As a university that is committed to student welfare, UUM has established a student welfare fund scheme for 2025. This initiative is designed to enhance student welfare by providing various targeted support to selected students in need.
The Vice-Chancellor also launched UUM’s Research, Innovation, Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship Societal (RICES) initiative. Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad Sakdan officiated the launch using a tablet as part of the symbolic gimmick.
The fifth event celebrated the launch of three university-affiliated publishing companies namely EDUMi Sdn. Bhd., Shazign Solution and Lensa Mimpi Empire, in conjunction with the 2025 Spinoff Sandbox year.
Finally, the ceremony concluded with the launch of the Universiti Utara Malaysia Sales and Transactions Activity Guidebook by Dr Mohd Foad and Dr. Afiruddin Tapa, the Director of the Strategic and Business Development Department (BSD).
The guideline book represents a collaboration effort by BSD and various centres of authority, designed to shed light on the application process for organising programmes or events. It serves to assist applicants, traders and event managers in giving a clearer understanding of the process.
This document will serve as a written reference, as well as outline the Management Best Practices for UUM.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Dato’ Dr Mohd Foad expressed hope that these initiatives would enhance the university’s reputation as a hub of knowledge excellence, aligning with UUM’s Education Management Policy and strategic objectives for 2025.
