UTP Quality Day 2015

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Assalamualaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia

YBhg Datuk Ir. (Dr.) Abdul Rahim B. Hj. Hashim, Vice Chancellor, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS,

Associate Professor Dr. Balbir Singh Mahinder Singh, Chairman of UTP Quality Day 2015,

Deputy Vice Chancellors,

Members of UTP Management Committee & Senate,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Alhamdulillah, let me express our utmost gratitude to Allah, The Almighty, for it is with His Munificence, and with His Grace, that all of us are gathered here today for the UTP Quality Day 2015. I wish to express my appreciation to the Vice Chancellor of UTP for inviting me to this auspicious event. To the event which is specially organised by the University to reward and to recognise staff who have made significant contributions to UTP in various academic and non-academic fields in the year 2015.

2. I would like to congratulate the organising committee for an event well done. And, to the award recipients who will be conferred with various awards. Well done to all the 2015 recipients!

3. I would also like to congratulate the University once again for all the achievements attained in 2015 which I believe were made possible through the staff inculcation of the PETRONAS Five Quality Principles in their work. Due to the quality and high standards set by UTP, I trust that the drive for success prevailed in each and every one in UTP. The 6 Stars in the 2015 achievement in MyRA and the 2016 QS ranking are testaments to UTP’s global reputation among academic partners and employers, our world-class facilities, our renowned research and our achievement in internationalisation. Well done!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

4. This year’s Quality Day themed, “Embracing Quality Towards Global Prominence” is apt as the Quality Day aims to further broaden our awareness, increase our knowledge and strengthen our efforts.

5. I believe the assimilation of the quality principles in each of us will deliver services of the highest standard for the benefit of our internal and external customers, as well of our stakeholders.

6. I hope that all staff will take the spirit from our Quality Day today to understand and realise that in order to successfully achieve our goals and vision, we must first internalise and practise the Five Quality Principles which we have been taught.

7. It is imperative that we see quality in tandem with performance improvement. This means improving the quality, delivery schedule and management of our product or service, improving the systems and processes that deliver them, and all the resources that support these processes.

8. This is especially important in light of the serious impact of an unprecedented structural shift in the industry, amidst prevailing low oil prices, affecting PETRONAS’ very survivability. Hence it is vital for the fundamental change from every UTP staff to take on the tough times ahead. I trust everyone in UTP, in PETRONAS, are embracing the spirit of Project Cactus.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

9. One of the culture change journeys that we need to embark on is moving the University towards Technopreneurship. The quest for excellence and student satisfaction represents a commitment and strategy of higher education institution. Universities are not only devoted to teaching and learning but they also need to cover research and entrepreneurial activities. This expansion of activities shows the need to better develop quality management. I greatly encourage all UTP staff especially the academics to support the implementation of Entrepreneurship Development Policy for Institutions of Higher Learning which was launched 6 years ago, on 13th April 2010. This policy has three objectives with one of its objectives to Nurture Entrepreneurial Academics and Researchers.

10. With this policy, an allocation of the spending for R&D will be on investment, which will provide funding for future research endeavours. Companies and industries will now seek partnership with higher education sector to bring innovative products to market. Some of our R&D output might be translated into products that can be commercialised. I am confident that several patented research findings can be converted into finished products, provided we have the right strategic collaboration with the industry. In this era of innovation economy, we need to find innovative and creative ways to generate revenue, while at the same time either containing or reducing operating cost. This spirit is very much seamless with the University mission “To Nurture Creativity and Innovativeness, and Expand the Frontiers of Technology and Education for the Betterment of Society”. This will also be in line with the National Higher Education Blueprint’s aspiration for students at universities to take up the challenge towards becoming entrepreneurs; that is to move away from conventional mindset of being “job seekers” to becoming “job creators”.

11. I believe that UTP will be able to lead the change towards such innovative practices through its quality management system that has brought the University to where it is today. Long term sustainability relies on this quality system and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI). CQI remains the key factor to provide the way forward.

12. I was also informed that one of UTP’s strategic initiatives is to introduce the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) across the board. This is indeed a good strategy to ensure financial sustainability. As teaching is one of UTP’s core businesses, we need to find innovative and creative ways to offer our services at competitive fees, while operating in cost-effective manners. I believe through the CQI, UTP will continue to nurture our students to reach to their full potential, to be successful in being good contributors to society, in line with the University’s mission to produce well-rounded graduates who are creative and innovative, with the potential to become leaders of industry and the nation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

13. We are now in the period when creativity and innovation are really important in advancing our world, whether it is societal issues or great discoveries that will lead to new technologies that will better our lives. This is something important, and we need to embrace it.

14. All of us must think beyond our own immediate remit and think about the outcome of our role, our actions, on others. Rather than doing blindly what is asked, try to understand the need, and the desired outcome, of what is asked. Then do it, if it makes sense. Very often, we will find rules and policies have overstayed their welcome. Status quo may be there because no one bothered to question it. Be the trigger that makes that change. We may not have the authority to make the change. But we are equipped with logic to argue the case for change, and imagination to propose better ways of doing things.

15. It is my sincere hope that this award ceremony which is a tribute to the hard work and sacrifices of everyone in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS who have fuelled the engine of progress will serve to encourage all of you working in UTP to raise the bar in terms of the University’s performance and delivery.

16. Congratulations once again to the award recipients. Surely you will continue to inspire and spur everyone else in the enduring quest for excellence.

17. With ‘Bismillahirahmanirahim’, I officiate UTP Quality Day for the year 2015.

Thank you.