Lai Zhenyue (left) receiving her award from Professor Jim Mienczakowski as Student Council President Jude Lim looks on.
Miri – 14 October 2013 – 10 academics of Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) recently received Student Choice Awards in recognition of their teaching excellence and commitment to providing the best academic support to their students.
They were from the university’s School of Engineering and Science, School of Business and School of Continuing Studies.
The annual awards are presented by the Curtin Sarawak Student Council and the winners are chosen by students of the university. This year, over one thousand student votes were received in a week of voting.
The respective winners of the grand prize and first runner-up prize for the School of Engineering and Science were lecturers Lai Zhenyue and Foad Motabeli, both of the school’s Science and Foundation Department. Joint winners of the second runner-up prize were senior lecturer and head of the Department of Civil and Construction Engineering Dr. Tang Fu Ee and lecturer Dr. Garenth Lim King Hann of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Professor Mienczakowski presenting the award to first runner-up Dr. Abey P. Philips from the School of Business.
Meanwhile, for the School of Business, associate lecturer Delon Chai Wei How of the school’s Department of Foundation Studies won the grand prize, followed by senior lecturer Dr. Abey P. Philips of the Department of Economics and Finance and lecturer Chan Kwok Mow of the Department of Accounting in second and third place.
Grand prize winner for the School of Continuing Studies was associate lecturer Winnifred Winston Manggie of the Department of Language Studies and Humanities while associate lecturer Kathy Pang Kai Chin of the Department of Diploma Studies and associate lecturer Esther Liong Lalo of the Department of Language Studies and Humanities came in second and third.
In his speech during the award ceremony attended by the deans and heads of department of the schools as well as Student Council members and awardees, Curtin Sarawak Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Jim Mienczakowski said that it was good for Curtin Sarawak’s students to be able to nominate and vote for academics they considered outstanding and exemplary models for their peers to follow.
Second runner-up Esther Liong Lalo from the School of Continuing Studies.
“Who better than our own students, who are the direct beneficiaries of their teaching and commitment to the enhancement of the learning experience, among other criteria, to judge just how effective they have been as academics,” he remarked.
He went on to say that Curtin Sarawak’s academics are frequently recognised for their teaching excellence, often at international level, and they consistently keep up with the latest developments in their subject areas and integrate the newest advancements in educational technology into their classes.
“This is because, at Curtin, we emphasise the need for students to remain at the very forefront of technological and educational progress. When Curtin graduates step out into the world, they are equipped with the most up-to-date information and skills relevant to their new careers,” he said.
He added that the academics, who come from some 15 countries around the world and with a high number of them holding doctorates in their fields, enable Curtin Sarawak to adopt a truly global focus.
The winners, Professor Mienczakowski and Jude Lim in a photo call at the end of the ceremony.
For more information on Curtin Sarawak, visit its website at www.curtin.edu.my. Information on the university can also be found on its Facebook page at facebook.com/CurtinUniversitySarawakMalaysia, Twitter profile at twitter.com/curtinsarawak, YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/CurtinUniSarawak, or Instagram at instagram.com/curtinsarawak.
