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Professor Christine Ennew, currently Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation, is to be the new Provost and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham’s pioneering Malaysia Campus - she will take up her post in spring 2013.
Professor Ennew takes over from Professor Ian Pashby who, after nearly five years at the helm, is moving to the University of Hull as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement.
Professor Ennew said: “Malaysia is now a regional hub for international universities in Asia and competition is growing all the time. There are challenges ahead but over the last decade Nottingham has built a strong and hugely attractive campus-based institution in Malaysia and we are continuing to invest heavily in teaching, research and the student experience. Over the next decade we need to ensure we get that balance right. Teaching and learning will remain our core purpose but we will be focusing increased attention on strengthening research and business engagement, and we have an excellent base to build on.
Professor Ennew added: “We need to focus on balanced growth in an increasingly competitive environment, we have to ensure we get the right subject mix and that we continue to enhance the student experience. We also need to strengthen our research activity by building on the core strengths of the University of Nottingham, working in areas of direct relevance to the development of the Malaysian economy and in partnership with Malaysian Universities.”
Internationalisation at Nottingham
Professor Ennew has been at the heart of Nottingham’s ambitious internationalisation programme for many years - spending significant periods of time in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region. She currently manages the University’s international strategy which has attracted students and academic staff from almost 150 nations to its research and teaching campuses in Britain and Asia. She took a leading role in the development of the Malaysia Campus when it was first established in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 and between 2008 and 2011 she had oversight responsibility for the continuing development and integration of Nottingham’s historic campuses in China and Malaysia.
The opening of the purpose-built campus in 2005 in Semenyih was a significant milestone in Nottingham’s commitment to become one of the most prestigious higher education institutions in Malaysia. Professor Pashby was appointed Provost in 2008, prior to which he was Deputy to the Provost and Director of Studies for the School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering.
Challenging, exciting and rewarding
Professor Pashby said: “It has been a challenging, exciting and very rewarding five years in which I have overseen a growth in student numbers, range of subjects offered and research activity. Student numbers have increased from 2,700 to over 4,400 and the campus has been recognised by the Malaysian Government for the quality of both its teaching and research. Continuous investment in infrastructure and services has seen the student experience improve year on year. UNMC is a vibrant academic community with over 70 nationalities represented amongst the student body. I am proud of what the staff have achieved over recent years and I feel very privileged to have been part of UNMC’s continuing success."
“I will be very sad to leave behind so many friends and colleagues and a country which I have grown to love. The family has had so many wonderful adventures since arriving in Asia but they are now looking forward to returning to the UK and the new challenges that lie ahead. My new role at Hull will be particularly special for me as I am moving to my home-town University”.
University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
The University of Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor David Greenaway, said: “When The University of Nottingham established a campus in Malaysia the move was certainly visionary. Just 80 students walked through the doors when the campus opened in 2000. Since then thousands of students of all nationalities have reaped the benefits of gaining a British degree after studying on the other side of the world.”
It is a major undertaking for our academics and staff who move, often with their families, half way around the world to embrace new challenges and cultures and I want to thank Professor Pashby for his commitment and dedication. His tenure of nearly five years has seen our campus in Malaysia go from strength to strength and we wish him and his family the very best for the future.”
The University of Nottingham’s links with Malaysia date back to the 1940s when the first Malaysian students travelled across the globe to enrol on courses in the UK. Now Malaysian students can gain a Nottingham degree in their home country.