PENANG, 12 December 2018 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has appointed 79 new Heads of Department (HODs) as Deans and Directors for the term 2019-2021.

For this 2019-2021 term, 32 percent of the HODs are females compared to 26 percent in the previous appointment. The increase in 6% of female candidates filling in as HODs reflects the university’s commitment towards providing equal opportunities to all, regardless of gender.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Datuk Dr. Asma Ismail, the selection for the appointment was done based on the Competency Framework which USM has developed.

“It is part of a detailed and systematic succession plan which USM has initiated since March 2018, making USM the first public university to implement such a plan.

“It is hoped that by going through the Competency Framework exercise and carefully designed interview sessions, it would help boost the confidence of the newly appointed HODs in building their leadership traits as they move the university forward for the next three years together with the USM top management,” said Asma.

The HODs received their appointment letters from the USM Vice-Chancellor and witnessed by the USM top management. 

Based on the framework, 62 percent of the HODs were retained while 38 percent comprised of new faces.

Text: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin / Photo: Ebrahim Abdul Manan