Leadership and Spiritual Camp for IIUM Student Club Leaders (LEADS 2013)

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Salam Sejahtera

dan Salam 1Malaysia

YBhg. Dato’ Hamidon Abdul Hamid, Director of Centre for University Social Responsibility, CENSERVE,

Leaders of Student Clubs,

Brothers and Sisters,

Sons and daughters,

It gives me great pleasure to be here this morning, to share my views and thoughts with all of you. And for that, I wish to thank Dato’ Hamidon for the invitation.

2.      Recently, I came across news about a new type of coffee, cafe sospeso. I have had café latte, espresso and cappuccino. But this sospeso was new. It’s not even a drink. It’s an idea. The idea is, when we order our drink at a local café, we can order this sospeso, or suspended coffee, and pay for it. When someone who cannot afford a coffee walks in, they ask if there are any suspended drinks. If there is, they get a drink, free, no questions asked. Cafes sign up for this scheme, free-of-charge, so homeless and less fortunate know where they can go if they need a nice warm or cold drink. This idea originally started in Naples, Italy and has spread across Europe and now to the US and Australia. This idea is based on good faith both by the stores and the recipients, and is a win for all. Those who pay get the warm feeling of helping someone anonymously, the stores get the satisfaction of facilitating a charitable act, and those in need get a drink, free-of-charge. They are treated with dignity, not questioned or frowned upon. It is not too different from ‘pay-it-forward’, which was immortalised in a movie of the same name.

3.      A key message from this story is, charitable acts can be elegantly simple. It doesn’t require banners, large funds or mammoth organisational support to be effective. It just needs individuals with integrity and the right intention. And a healthy dose of creativity. I am sure a fully funded program by a multinational to provide drinks to the homeless will not reach as many people, as fast, as the ‘suspended coffee’ did.

4.      And here is a challenge! Can we create our own ‘suspended coffee’? Can we come up with a mode of charity for our IIUM community that is simple, convenient and pervasive that everyone can participate with minimum effort? Can we make the model replicable so that other universities can emulate it? Wouldn’t that be a great way of marketing IIUM globally? The ‘suspended coffee’ has grown worldwide, but its origin in Naples is never forgotten!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

5.      As I understand, there are about 120 student leaders here today, representing 14 student clubs under the supervision of CENSERVE and 4 clubs from IIUM Kuantan that are actively engaged in providing community service. Let me congratulate you for making the choice to be engaged in serving the community. And for taking on a leadership role in providing this service. I am indeed very proud that the spirit of sharing and serving is very much alive in our beloved University.

6.      Our stated aspiration in the IIUM 2013-2020 Strategic Direction Document is to be a ‘Premier Global Islamic University’. And this aspiration is supported by six pillars standing on the foundation of Islamisation. The six pillars of:

I.         Quality teaching & learning

II.         Research & Innovation

III.         Internationalisation

IV.         Holistic student development

V.         Talent management

VI.         Financial Sustainability

7.      Our presence here is one of the action plans to realise the fourth pillar- Holistic Student Development. In our definition, holistic means students who are spiritually stable, mentally and physically robust, academically and professionally excellent, ethically and morally upright. Or Insan Soleh.

8.      Our vision of becoming a ‘Premier Global Islamic University’ requires cooperation and commitment from everyone. Every member of the IIUM family must subscribe to this vision. Every one of us have a role in making this vision a reality. Be it management, academics or students. It’s a collaborative effort. It cannot be achieved by the Management alone through new policies and strategies. Or by lecturers embarking on new research or ground-breaking publications. Or by students winning competitions and securing coveted jobs with multinationals. It requires all of this. And much more.

9.      Together, we can achieve much more than what we can achieve as individual members of the IIUM family. Our destiny is in our hands. What we achieve depends very much on how well we collaborate and nurture our relationship within this ‘family’.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

10.      A healthy family is built on solid relationships. One where interdependence is acknowledged and mutual respect is observed. Where constructive criticism is seen as a show of love and caring. The days of ‘parents-know-best’ and ‘children should be seen, not heard’ are long over.

11.      For our IIUM family to achieve its full potential, we must treat every member as a partner. Not students. Not authority figures. But adults with our own ideas and aspirations. Adults who are entrusted with responsibility to administer, educate and learn. To achieve excellence for the right reasons. To seek the pleasure of Allah subhanahu wata’ala. To repay the trust of our parents and family. To elevate our University’s global standing.

12.      Partnerships require a high degree of trust. We must trust others, and be trustworthy. We need to develop a degree of trust where we can communicate frequently, and are comfortable to discuss and debate. I urge both the student leaders and the management to be always open for discussion. I am sure it is already happening now. I know Datuk Mizan, the Deputy Rector for Student Affairs,  is very open to meeting with students. We must ensure the channels of communication are always open. Then we can speak as one voice, with shared goals and aspirations.

13.      A key success factor in communication is empathy. We must always try to put our self in the other person’s shoe and try to understand their point of view and their motivation. I assure you, mastering this skill will put you in good stead not only as student leaders but also in your professional and personal life, InsyaAllah.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

14.      Today, internet and budget airlines have made global connectivity more convenient, faster and cheaper. Opportunities for us to make a difference, and in the process grow as a person, are countless. More than ever, this era of unlimited opportunities requires wisdom and guidance to navigate through the maze and choose the opportunities that are real and most impactful.

15.      As student leaders, it is incumbent upon all to equip ourselves with skills, knowledge and network that will guide us in choosing the right opportunities for our  clubs and to fulfil our amanah responsibly. This camp has been designed to challenge and inspire everyone in rethinking the role of student leaders, and to equip all with skills and qualities needed to be holistic leaders. It’s about transforming values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, diversity into solidarity, and risks into rewards.

16.      We hope, InsyaAllah, this and future programmes will help create a new generation of student leaders who will become highly sought intellectuals, scholars and professionals, infused with faith, knowledge, and good character. Graduates who will be agents of comprehensive and balanced progress in Malaysia and around the world.

17.      On that note, I wish you success and happiness in your future endeavours as student leaders and members of the wider Ummah. And with that, I declare the closing of the Leadership and Spiritual Camp 2013.

Wabillahitaufiq wal hidayah, wassalamu’alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.