PENANG, 17 September 2013 – Texchem Founding Chairman, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Fumihiko Konishi, 69, will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree in conjunction with the USM 48^th Convocation Ceremony this Thursday.

According to the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman, this industry leader has much involved in helping USM through establishing close relationships with several schools at the Engineering and Main Campuses, and he is a role model of a successful entrepreneur.

He manages about 40 companies under the Texchem empire, dealing in such diverse activities as manufacturing, trading, retailing and investments. This includes Texchem Resources Bhd, which was successfully floated on the Second Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange in 1993, and was transferred to the First Board on 28 June 2001.

“His entrepreneurial qualities, foresight and determination have played an important role in the growth of the Texchem Group of Companies from its small existence to a diversified manufacturing and trading group today. These are the values ​​that we want the university community to emulate,” Omar said.

"Fumihiko Konishi is a corporate and industry leader as well as a successful businessman. He is well-respected for building an empire that emphasises on scientific needs, innovation, creativity and foresight. He is an ardent international traveler with a strong inclination for local flavor, local arts and culture and appreciates the close cooperation between industry and knowledge institutions for a successful future,” added Omar in a special press conference announcing the USM 48^th Convocation Ceremony.

Omar said that Fumihiko is the strong supporter of the relationship between industry and universities, which can be evidently seen through his Company’s involvement with USM in activites such as conferences, collaborative research, Industry Advisory Panel and graduate studies in several schools of the University.

Born in Nanao, Ishikawa in March 1944, he completed his school days at the Nanao High School and received his tertiary education at the Tokyo University of Pharmacy & Life Scienceswhere he obtained a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, thereafter rounding off his studies at the University of Malaya under an exchange student programme. He first set foot in Penang in 1973 by establishing the first Texchem company.

Emeritus Professor

Meanwhile, the Founding Dean and the first Campus Director of USM Kubang Kerian Health Campus in Kelantan, Professor Dato’ Dr. Mohd. Roslani Abdul Majid, 69, will be bestowed the title ‘Professor Emeritus’ at the same convocation ceremony.

According to Omar, Mohd. Roslani’s contributions on the development of medical education in USM are significant as he successfully laid a solid foundation for USM to produce holistic medical human resources.

Mohd. Roslani launched a three-pronged expansion plan of the School of Medical Sciences that covered the physical aspect, human resources and academic programmes with the first student intake targeted within two years from the date of establishment, that was in 1981, and turned Kubang Kerian Hospital building to USM Teaching Hospital (USM Hospital) at the end of 1982 which was officially operational in October 1983.

“He had plans for the next phase of construction of the School of Dental Sciences and the School of Health Sciences commenced. He also broke the tradition by sending Trainee Lecturers to Belgium to pursue specialist qualification. He was proven to have taken the right steps and all the previous cynical criticisms were disappeared when the trainees achieved sterling performance over there.” said Omar.

Mohd. Roslani was involved in designing a curriculum which is now known as SPICES – S-Systematic; P-Problem Based and Problem Solving; I-Integrated; C-Community Based; E-Electives and S-Spiral. To combine these elements, CFCS (Community & Family Case Studies) were introduced by placing each student in a family to provide a more holistic understanding of health and health-related issues in the community. Students acted as agents of change and their impacts influenced the families to become more receptive towards education and helped to increase the motivation among their children.

Omar further said that Mohd. Roslani also developed the Master of Medicine programme and strengthened the local postgraduate training programme which has now grown in nearly all areas of specialisation and sub-specialisation of medicine. He also identified the areas of study and developed biomedical research that successfully produced National Young Scientist which was won by USM for 4 years in a row. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon