Graduate Summer Programme 2018 for sixteen first-year MBA students of GRG School of Management Studies, India, has received a warm welcome by the Faculty of Industrial Management (FIM), Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP).
The two-week-long programme involved various academic activities that included lectures, case discussions, port visit, industrial visit and scenario analysis, business simulation, as well as postgraduate colloquium and presentations. Non-academic activities included cultural exchange activities, nature retreat, mine visit, sports activities, dance sessions, city tours and safari park visit. The schedule was rigorous as the visiting students undertook this Graduate Summer Programme under the study-abroad programme of GRGSMS and as a replacement for their summer internship. On the valediction day of the Graduate Summer Programme 2018, Dr. Nandini Rangaswamy, Chairperson of GRG Institutions and GRG Trust and Prof. Dr. P. Sadhasivam, Director, GRGSMS, were present to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with FIM, UMP, on student exchange, staff exchange and joint research. Professor Dato’ Sri Ts. Dr. Daing Mohd Nasir Ibrahim, the Vice-Chancellor of UMP, and Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Ridzuan Darun, the Dean of FIM, UMP, signed the MOU on behalf of UMP.
Dr. Senthil Kumar, the head of Finance Cluster, as well as the coordinator of this programme highlighted that “Both the institutions have unique capabilities which makes this association a perfect case for realizing mutual benefits. It is expected that some of the FIM staff would be visiting GRGSMS soon to study and explore further possibilities. In due course of time, student exchange for short-term programmes and semester exchange with credit transfer, collaborative teaching, joint publication and joint research are likely to happen in phases”.
In short, the writer could not agree more that student exchange brings about benefits from the perspectives of education, personal growth, and language. Student exchange programmes are beneficial in terms of not only experiencing life in another country, but also educational ones and language skills. The students were impressed with the academic exposure, non-academic activities, hospitality and the congenial ambience at UMP.
Meanwhile, the programme was accelerated with the assistance from Dr. Yudi Fernando, Deputy Dean (Postgraduate and Research), Dr. Suhaidah Hussain, MBA Head, Mdm. Nor Rokiah Hanum, Mr. Syed Radzi and Mdm. Norul Fadilah from FIM worked closely with Mr. Mohammad Ilzam of the International Office to execute this programme of the first kind in FIM, UMP.
(Source: Dr. Senthil Kumar, Head of Finance Cluster, FIM, UMP)