KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus recently celebrated its 10th anniversary on 25 September, 2010.
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Alfred Jabu anak Numpang, Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, officiated the event on behalf of Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, at the ceremony themed “Celebrating a decade of quality Australian education in Sarawak”.
Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud is also the Pro Chancellor of Swinburne Sarawak.
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Alfred Jabu was welcomed by flag-waving Malaysian and international students dressed in their national costumes and a string orchestra performed ‘Waltzing Matilda’ as he made his entrance to the multi-purpose hall.
A 30-member student choir then performed the national anthems of Malaysia and Australia on stage.
The highlight of the celebration was the cutting of the 10th anniversary cake by the Deputy Chief Minister who was joined on stage by Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Adenan bin Haji Satem, Datuk Amar Haji Mohamad Morshidi bin Abdul Ghani, the chairmen of the University Council and Board of Directors respectively, as well as members of Swinburne Sarawak’s University Council and the Board of Directors. Confetti filled the air as the cake was cut.
This was followed by a two-minute multimedia presentation created by second-year design students detailing the milestones of Swinburne Sarawak.
More than 400 guests attended the celebration including Mr Xie Fugen, the Consul General from the Consulate General of The People’s Republic of China in Kuching, Mr Yushen Cui the First Secretary and Consul of the Australian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur and Mr Tim Dillon, the Commissioner for the Victorian Government Business Office in Kuala Lumpur. Other distinguished guests include corporate leaders, community leaders and school representatives as well as those from professional bodies. Also present were the heads of schools of the university as well as graduates of Swinburne Sarawak.
Since opening its doors in 2000, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus has grown rapidly in both reputation and facilities. The university began its academic mission with about 130 students at the former State Complex building along Jalan Simpang Tiga in Kuching.
In 2004, Swinburne Sarawak had its name changed to Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus when it was awarded university status as a foreign branch campus by the Malaysian Government.
The campus underwent an expansion in 2008 in line with the continuous growth of its student population. This includes eight new buildings, custom-designed to accommodate the programs it offers in engineering, science, commerce, computing and design.
In May of this year, the university was awarded self-accrediting status by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA), giving the university autonomy to accredit its own programs.
The Sarawak campus also achieved an ‘excellent’ (Tier 5) rating in the 2009 MQA Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions (SETARA) in July. The rating exercise involved 58 universities and university colleges in the country and the ‘excellent’ rating of Swinburne Sarawak is the highest tier achieved by any university in Malaysia.