There were many reasons to rejoice at INTI International University (INTI), as it recently celebrated more than 1,150 graduates receiving their scrolls, as well as outstanding students who received 14 industry awards and 10 awards by INTI’s partner universities, University of Hertfordshire and Coventry University from the United Kingdom.
The industry awards included recognitions for Best Student in several majors, including Finance, Accounting, Human Resource Management, Computer Science and Civil Engineering, with industry partners such as KPMG Malaysia, AIA Malaysia, HCL Axon Malaysia and Polymer Composite Asia Sdn Bhd acknowledging these talented graduates.
INTI also marked the three-day convocation event by entering into a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with NSport Berhad, whose principal advisor is YAM Tunku Dato’ Seri Zain Al-’Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, the Founding President of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and a prominent newspaper columnist. This is the first collaborative effort between the two parties to conduct a research on sports development in the state of Negeri Sembilan, and will see INTI academicians and students learning how to conduct State-level sports research from a team that was part of the organising committee of the 2012 London Olympics. The research aims to answer what is needed to encourage more people to take part in sports, especially those from disadvantaged communities, while also building on the success of the State’s achievements to date. The research will also include measures to support gifted and talented athletes and coaches, and eventually, to offer a recommendation on how to take this baseline research nationwide.
Dr Joseph Lee, Vice Chancellor of INTI shared, “The role of a university in the 21st century has drastically evolved. In this age of digitalisation, knowledge is easily and widely available and the future is unpredictable with the Fourth Industrial Revolution on the cusp. It is the role of universities to equip students with critical skills so that they can be leaders of innovation by learning from current industry experts. Students pick up critical skills through sports, such as team work, leadership and sportsmanship.
“This is why we are honoured to have YAM Tunku Dato’ Seri Zain to give the Royal Address to our graduates on the first day of our convocation, and have him witness the Memorandum of Cooperation with NSport Berhad in his capacity as the principal advisor to study the current sports climate in the State. In the long run this collaboration will develop a proposal to improve sports at a nation-wide level. This opportunity will also enable INTI to contribute to the Negeri Sembilan community, as we are one of the largest universities in the State.”
The convocation ceremony also coincided with the 90th birthday of the University’s Chancellor, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Utama Arshad Ayub. Tan Sri Arshad is a respected educator who was instrumental in the development of Universiti Teknologi MARA, and who also served Malaysia as Deputy Governor of Bank Negara from 1975 to 1977. He was feted with a surprise birthday celebration at the campus, and also received warm wishes from both current students and graduating students.