The Star
New VC appointments
8 October 2023

Prof Ahmad Farhan

UNIVERSITI Putra Malaysia (UPM) recently welcomed its new vice chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah.

Appointed the varsity’s ninth vice chancellor effective Oct 2, he took over from Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Roslan Sulaiman, who completed his service on Aug 31. Prior to the appointment, Prof Ahmad Farhan, whose term will end on Sept 17, 2026, served as Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) from 2017 to 2020.

He also held the position of director-general at the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) from 2008 to 2011.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, in a Facebook post on Sept 20, said Prof Ahmad Farhan was the recipient of the Road Safety Icon Award in 2015 for his contributions and expertise in the field of transportation engineering at both the national and international levels.

“He also served as the Road Safety National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) cluster head and as a member of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

“With his extensive experience and knowledge, I believe he is capable of propelling UPM to even greater heights while boosting efforts to empower the country’s higher education sector,” he said.

The Higher Education Ministry (MoHE), in its media statement, said with Prof Ahmad Farhan’s administrative experience in public universities and federal agencies, it is confident that he will position UPM as an agriculture-focused research university.

“He is also seen as capable of elevating UPM to new heights in the higher education ecosystem, particularly in realising the national food security agenda,” the statement on Sept 20 read.

Prof Ahmad Farhan holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Catholic University of America, the United States, a master’s degree in transport from Imperial College London, the United Kingdom, and a PhD in transport studies from University College London, UK.

Prof Kasim

Meanwhile, at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Md Mansur has been reappointed its vice chancellor for two years, effective Oct 3.

First appointed to the post on Oct 3, 2022, Prof Kasim holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in economics from Indiana State University, US, and a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin, US.

In a statement on Sept 19, MoHE said Prof Kasim is a respected academic figure in Sabah and has demonstrated outstanding achievements in implementing various initiatives that have successfully elevated UMS’ reputation both nationally and internationally.

“Under his leadership, UMS has achieved the 55th position in the Asian University Ranking 2023 and ranks among the top 251-260 universities in Asia in the QS Asia University Rankings 2023.

“With his reappointment as the vice chancellor, the ministry is confident that UMS will continue to strengthen its position as one of the best comprehensive universities in Malaysia, and will continue to contribute to the development of Sabah through academic activities and university research,” it read.