UiTM welcomes its first female Vice-Chancellor

Professor Ts. Dr Hajah Roziah Mohd Janor has been appointed as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), making her the first female vice-chancellor at the university.

She previously held the post of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) replaced Professor Emeritus Datuk Ir Dr Mohd Azraai Kassim, whose service ended on March 10, 2021. Professor Ts. Dr Roziah Mohd Janor is a Professor of Statistics at the Faculty of Computer Sciences & Mathematics, UiTM, Malaysia.

For the past 30 years of service, she has held numerous impactful leadership posts, such as the Assistant Vice-Chancellor of The Institute of Quality and Knowledge Advancement (InQKA), Director of Curriculum Affairs and Director of Academic Quality.

She is also a member of the Malaysian Board of Technologists and has received various awards, including the UiTM Staff Excellence Award. Recently, Prof Roziah and her team published a 20-year UiTM impact study that highlights the major impact UiTM has had on the regeneration of socio-economic development of surrounding communities.

In an official statement, the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, expressed her confidence in Prof Roziah’s experience and leadership capabilities by stating, “Roziah is able to shoulder the responsibility of making UiTM a mega university and provide ample opportunities for Bumiputeras to improve their living standards through higher education in all fields and continue the excellence of UiTM’s leadership,”.

Speaking in a special address to the university’s staff and academics after her appointment, Prof Roziah conveyed her intention to continue with the UiTM 2025 agenda initiated in February 2020. She highlighted that there would be changes and enhancements in key areas of the UiTM2025 agenda, namely in budgeting, project roll-out and implementation time, and impactful reporting.

The adjustments are needed to leverage the repercussion of Covid19 and ensure that UiTM can achieve its aim to become a Globally Renowned University (GRU) by 2025. Prof Roziah added, “We need to Reset, Recover and Restore. This is to ensure the sustainability of UiTM2025’s strategic planning and the attainment of more realistic and meaningful outcomes.”

President University works with government to support during COVID-19

In order to help overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, President University is supporting the Bekasi Berantas Pandemi (Berani) program organized by the Bekasi Regency Government, West Java.

Under the program, PresUniv converted one of its dormitory units located in New Beverly Hills (NBH) in the Jababeka industrial estate, Cikarang, Bekasi, into a Central Isolation and Covid-19 Vaccination House. This Isolation House is part of the Berani program held by the Bekasi Regency Government.

The use of the Isolation House was inaugurated by the Regent of Bekasi, Dr. H. Dani Ramdan, MT. The event was held under strict health protocols.

In his remarks, Regent Dani Ramdan hoped that other industrial areas would imitate the steps taken by the Jababeka industrial estate. He said, “I hope that all parties participate in the success of the Berani movement so that Bekasi Regency can quickly rise and recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Said Prof. Dr Jony Haryanto, Rector of PresUniv, “We are concerned about the increasing number of cases of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has taken many lives. Under such conditions, universities can no longer be an ivory tower but must work hand in hand, together with the government and all parties, to ease the burden on society.”