USM PENANG, 8 April 2022 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Baoding University, China in its effort to strengthen its offshore collaboration.

The MoA was signed (on 6 April 2022) through a virtual ceremony conducted via the Webex video conferencing platform, in part due to restrictions on international travel brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

USM Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), Professor Dato' Gs. Dr. Narimah Samat who signed the MoA on behalf of the university, hoped that the collaboration will pave the way for both parties to explore specific areas of research and student exchange programmes.

“We at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), being one of the five research universities in Malaysia and the first science university in the country, are happy to cultivate the spirit of scholarly collaboration between fellow institutions, with the hope that it will bring mutual benefits to both institutions as well as to Malaysia and China.

“During the pandemic in 2020 to 2021, USM recorded a successive year of growth in international students’ intake and enrolment, even with restrictions imposed on cross-border movements. We do not want to rest on our laurels and will intensify our initiatives to continue to attract international students,” she added.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Dean of the School of Languages, Literacies and Translation, Professor Dr. Salasiah Che Lah; Dean, School of Foreign Language Education and International Business, Professor Zhang Guangtian; Director of Centre for International Education and Exchange, Du Xiaomei; and CEO of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), Mohd Radzlan Jalaludin.

Narimah also thanked the CEO of EMGS for witnessing today’s ceremony and for EMGS’s role in mediating the two faculties.

Meanwhile, according to the Vice-President (Academic and International) of Baoding University, Associate Professor Sun Bin who signed the MoA on behalf of the university, the signing of this MoA opens a new chapter for both institutions to collaborate in areas which have been mutually identified, and he is looking forward to a fruitful relationship with a prestigious university like USM in the years ahead.

Baoding University was established in 1958, as a higher education institution located in the medium-sized city of Baoding (population range of 500,000-1,000,000 inhabitants), Hebei.

Officially accredited and/or recognised by the Department of Education, Hebei Province, Baoding University is a co-educational higher education institution that offers courses and programmes leading to officially recognised higher education degrees in several areas of study.

Text: Mohamad Hafiz Asyraf Mohd Arop/Photo: Mohd Fairus Md. Isa