The UOW Malaysia KDU Board of Directors is honoured to announce the upgrade to university status of the UOW Malaysia KDU University College, which will be renamed as the University of Wollongong Malaysia.

Launch of New University Name by Minister of Higher Education

The University of Wollongong Malaysia originated as KDU College, established in 1983 by Paramount Corporation Berhad, and was upgraded to KDU University College in 2010. Since its establishment, UOW Malaysia KDU has been providing affordable and reliable higher education in Malaysia. In 2019, the University of Wollongong (UOW) Australia acquired a majority stake in UOW Malaysia KDU and became a co-owner along with Paramount Corporation Berhad. The University of Wollongong Malaysia is part of the UOW global network, which has campuses in Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong and soon to be opened campus in India.

With the upgrade to university status, the University of Wollongong Malaysia has joined the premier group of private universities in Malaysia and is poised to make its mark as a campus that is distinctly innovative, diverse and connected globally.

The celebration dinner for the University of Wollongong Malaysia was officiated by the Minister of Higher Education YB Dato’ Seri Khaled Nordin. The Chancellor of the University of Wollongong Malaysia Datuk Seri Michael Yam delivered the Welcome Address while HE Simon Fellows, the Acting Australian High Commissioner presented the Congratulatory Address. Also joining in the celebrations was YB Hannah Yeoh, Minister of Youth and Sports, delivering the address as a distinguished alumna.

Traditional dance performances by students

The Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Wollongong Australia, Professor Patricia M. Davidson praised the Malaysian team for their steadfastness and excellent leadership in sustaining the reputability and quality of the UOW brand in Malaysia.

“Securing university status is an enormous achievement and is a huge step forward for UOW’s offering in Malaysia,” Professor Davidson said.

“UOW has been a trailblazer in taking top-class Australian education to the world and I am thrilled to see this important milestone reached.”

She was joined by UOW Global Enterprises Group CEO, Marisa Mastroianni who commended the Malaysian team for their resilience and working above and beyond to ensure that the upgrade came through successfully. They both thanked Dato’ Seri Khaled Nordin for the confidence and trust placed in the University of Wollongong Malaysia to be counted among the premier private universities in Malaysia.

The dinner was a grand celebration attended by VIPs from government agencies, Embassies and the corporate sector, heads from foreign branch universities, private and public universities, stakeholders, staff, alumni and students of the University of Wollongong Malaysia.

Environment during the Gala Celebration Dinner

To underscore the celebratory nature of the occasion, there were multi-cultural dance performances by students of UOW Malaysia.

The culmination of the celebration was the unveiling of the new name of the university by the Minister of Higher Education, marking the historic milestone achievement of the University of Wollongong Malaysia and a symbolic new chapter in the annals of the institution.

This article is provided by UOW Malaysia

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