Universiti Teknologi MARA

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MARA University of Technology
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Logo of the Universiti Teknologi MARA
Motto: Usaha Taqwa Mulia
Established: 1956
Chancellor: Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda yang Di-pertuan Agong XIII Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah
Vice-Chancellor: Yg Bhg Dato' Seri Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Abu Shah
Students: 40,000 on main campus and 100,000 throughout the country, thus the largest public university in the country.
Location: Shah Alam, Malaysia
Campus: 18 branches in Malaysia
Website: www.uitm.edu.my

MARA University of Technology (Malay: Universiti Teknologi MARA) (UiTM) is a Malaysian public university.

Contents

[edit] History

UiTM is closely linked to the development of the independent Malaysian nation. It began in 1956 as Dewan Latehan RIDA (Rural and Industrial Development Authority Training Center) in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The school became known as Maktab MARA (MARA College) in 1965. The name change meant that the college no longer operated under RIDA and instead became the most important unit of the MARA Training Division. MARA stands for Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Council of Trust for the Indigenous People) under the charismatic and dynamic leardership of Tan Sri Arshad Ayub.

In 1967, the school was renamed as Institut Teknologi MARA. Its establishment came as a response to a need in Malaysia for trained professionals, especially among Bumiputeras.

ITM's development took three major stages: From 1967 to 1976, ITM was an autonomous body with its own 300 acre (1.2 km²) campus in Shah Alam, operating under the Ministry of Rural Development. From 1976 to 1996, ITM advanced as an institution of higher learning and not only a professional training institute, operating directly under the Ministry of Education. In 1996, an amendment to the ITM Act of 1976 put ITM on a par with all the universities in Malaysia, but its historical name was retained until 1999. Then it became Universiti Teknologi MARA. It is called "UiTM" to differentiate it from UTM, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, which is a wholly separate university, based in Johor.

[edit] Faculties and Students

Universiti admission is open to Bumiputras only. Graduates to date number more than 110,000 with professional certificates, diplomas, BSc, MSc and PhD in various disciplines.

The university's faculties comprise about 4,000 academics, scholars and researchers. Faculty members are not necessary Bumiputras. They include other races and nationalities (eg. from Iran, Mauritius and etc).

There are 26 faculties and more than 200 academic programs. Faculties are as listed below:

[edit] Campuses

The enormous responsibility of managing and educating a large and diverse student population has resulted in the expansion of the university set-up. The university has a nationwide presence, with three satellite campuses, 13 branch campuses, 6 city campuses, 25 franchise colleges and a "smart campus for the future." The main campus is in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor, about 25 km southwest of Kuala Lumpur.
1. UiTM Shah Alam (Main Campus), Selangor
2. UiTM Shah Alam (Section 17), Selangor
3. UiTM Jalan Othman, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
4. UiTM Puncak Perdana, Selangor
5 UiTM Hospital Selayang, Selangor
UiTM Hospital Sungai Buloh, Selangor
6. UiTM Arau, Perlis
7. UiTM Segamat, Johor
8. UiTM Kota Samarahan, Sarawak
9. UiTM Alor Gajah, Melaka
10. UiTM Sungai Petani, Kedah
11. UiTM Machang, Kelantan
12. UiTM Bukit Mertajam, Penang
13. UiTM Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
14. UiTM Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan
15. UiTM Jengka, Pahang
16. UiTM Sri Iskandar, Perak
17. UiTM Dungun, Terengganu
18. UiTM Puncak Alam, Selangor

Presently, Shah Alam is host to 45.5% of the total number of students, while the rest are distributed over the other campuses, with Perlis campus handling the biggest number (6.3%). These campuses provide excellent opportunities for Bumiputeras all over the country to pursue higher education and attain higher economic and social development.

[edit] Shah Alam Main Campus

UiTM’s main campus started with the laying of its foundation stone on 14 October 1967 by Tun Abdul Razak and by mid 70s, the campus was already in full operation. It acts as the focal point of development and expansion to a network of 21 other campuses. In the year 2004, Shah Alam campus had approximately 36,000 full-time and 6,500 part-time students. There are 13 residential colleges within the campus that house no less than 16,800 students. Apart from that, many homes around the university also open their doors to off – campus students.

This campus is very close to Shah Alam city centre and therefore public facilities and services are within easy reach. An added advantage is the fact that Shah Alam is the hub for information technology and multimedia applications. It is also easily accessible via the major highways that link the city to strategic locations in the country.

[edit] Satellite campuses

There are presently 3 satellite campuses: Jalan Othman campus in Petaling Jaya, Section 17 campus and Puncak Perdana campus, both in Shah Alam. These campuses house specialist programmes and are different from branch campuses, which usually offer a bigger range of academic programmes. Jalan Othman campus is the oldest of the three while Puncak Perdana campus is the most recently established.

Jalan Othman campus is situated in the old part of Petaling Jaya and is less than a kilometre away from the old PJ town centre. In this campus was where UiTM first started in 1956 as Dewan Latehan RIDA. Today, the Faculty of Health Sciences is the only faculty located in the premises.

UiTM Section 17 campus is about 3 kilometres away from the main campus. It was formerly known as the Centre for Preparatory Studies or ‘Pusat Pendidikan Persediaan’ (PPP), a centre that prepared government sponsored students and those from private agencies for a university education in several European and Asian countries. Today, the International Education Centre (INTEC) continues the tradition set out by its predecessor and prepares these sponsored students to an even wider range of foreign universities. The other faculty that shares Section 17 campus facilities and services is the Faculty of Education.

Puncak Perdana campus is the most recently established UiTM satellite campus. It started operating in June 2004. The academic programmes that are on offer at this brand new space are those run by the Faculty on Information Management, the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies and the Faculty of Artistic and Creative Technology.

[edit] Branch Campuses

UiTM is the only university in Malaysia that has a branch campus in every state of the country. It started its first campus in Sabah in 1973 and finally opened its last branch in Kuala Pilah in the state of Negeri Sembilan on 1 June 1999. In a span of 26 years, although most of these campuses started on temporary premises, their establishment has been strategised and well planned. All have now moved on to more permanent sites, except for the Negeri Sembilan campus.

[edit] City/Town Campuses

These campuses are non-residential campuses which ensure that UiTM’s academic and professional training programmes reach out to the residents of local communities. To date, there are altogether 7 city/town campuses: Mukah campus (Sarawak); Tawau campus (Sabah); Johor Bahru campus (Johor); Raub campus (Pahang); Bukit Sekilau campus (Pahang); Alor Setar campus (Kedah) and Dungun campus (Terengganu).

[edit] Smart Campus

The university’s plan for a smart campus in Puncak Alam in the year 2008 epitomises its commitment to becoming a world-class university. It will house the most modern living conditions and the most conducive nurturing environment that will facilitate successful teaching, learning and research activities. It will have the highest quality facilities and services, state-of-the-art laboratories and technologically-enabled classrooms.

[edit] Recent expansion

UiTM recently set up two research institutes, the Institute of Biotechnology, which is under the Faculty of Medicine and the Science Institute.A new dental hospital has been established in Shah Alam campus,which is under the dental faculty.

In addition, UiTM has forged linkages with other universities and professional bodies, such as the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), UK; Chartered Institute of Transport (CIT), UK; Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA), UK; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), USA; Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), UK; Institute of Marketing, UK; Institute of Administrative Management, UK; Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), UK; and many others around the world.

Some of these ties go back a long way, such as with Ealing Technical College in the 1960s and Ohio University in the 1980s, and they have become a benchmark for UiTM's academic programs and research.

[edit] Criticism

UiTM has been criticized for its bumiputra only admission's policy.[1] Since the university's founding, in 1957, the literature proclaims, it "has consistently developed and introduced active measures that ensure access for all bumiputras who wish to enter higher learning."[2] However, given the situation in the country this modus is likely to endure for some time to come.

[edit] Notable Alumni

  • Prof Dr Dato' Seri Ibrahim Abu Shah, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Prof Ir Dr Dato' Sahol Hamid Abu Bakar, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs of Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Prof Dr Nasuddin Othman, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Students Affairs and Alumni of Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Wan Mohd Fusil, CEO of Mesiniaga
  • Dato' Ahmad Pardas Senin, Managing Director & CEO of UEM Group Berhad and UEM World Berhad
  • Tan Sri Mohd Saleh Sulong, Chairman of DRB-HICOM Berhad

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cohen, David (2002). However, given the unique situation in the country this very necessary safety valve is likely to endure for some time to come. "At Colleges in Malaysia, Chinese Need Not Apply" Chronicle of Higher Education 46(41): p. A47-A50
  2. ^ Quoted in Cohen, David (2002) "At Colleges in Malaysia, Chinese Need Not Apply" Chronicle of Higher Education 46(41): p. A47-A50

[edit] External links


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