Fifteen Malaysian students are taking Stevens Institute of Technology’s Engineering Design I and II courses in their home country this summer. At the Institute’s partner university, the Universti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Kuala Lumpur, Industry Professor Edward Blicharz is teaching the courses and enjoying his work with the students. “Things are going really well,’’ he comments. “The students are hard-working and are having fun.” Completing the two courses this summer will allow them to transfer to Stevens this fall and graduate in 2012. This is one of the unique aspects of the twinning program between Stevens and UiTM.
Stevens has been working with International Education Center (INTEC) at UiTH since 2003, and 32 students have graduated from the program during that time. Each year, exceptional Malaysian students join this program, selecting Stevens for many reasons, including its rich academic experience, proximity to New York City, and cultural diversity. The students are Malaysian Government Scholars, which means they are the top 1% of students, and they are fully sponsored for their education by the government. Stevens is one of only 40 schools in the U.S that meet the Malaysian government’s standards for this prestigious program. In the 2009-10 academic year, Stevens will welcome 35 Malaysian Government Scholars to the Hoboken campus.
As a result of the success of the program and extensive work in Malaysia by Stevens President Harold Raveche, a formalized twinning program has been developed. Signed by Dr. Maureen Weatherall in 2007, the program has resulted in more than 30 outstanding sponsored students joining Stevens after completing two years at INTEC.
Dr. Keith Sheppard, Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Science, says: “Offering these courses is a great way to build our relationship with INTEC and students in Malaysia. It helps form connections because the students get to know Stevens before they get here, and they gain valuable experience in engineering design.” The culmination of the Design I course was a robot competition. Deputy Director of INTEC, Norhayati Ahmad, was there to support the students. She and the other administrators expressed their delight at the high level of the technical design and testing challenges the students were confronted with and met successfully.
Mrs. Edwina Fleming is the overall coordinator of the program at Stevens and has developed close ties with the students, the faculty at INTEC and the growing Stevens Alumni body in the region. Two recent alumni have been sponsored by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to stay at Stevens and complete their PhD’s in preparation for joining the faculty. “Working with these students has been a wonderful experience,” says Mrs. Fleming. “Their enthusiasm and spirit has enriched our campus community and their academic excellence sets a standard for all of our students. They return home and act as wonderful ambassadors for our university, just as they have been wonderful ambassadors of Malaysia while on campus.