Sunway University College - Stories of Success

Sunway Foundation in Arts: Pathway to success

marketing — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:53:23 +0000

The pioneer intake of the 66 students in the Foundation in Arts (FIA) pre-university programme at Sunway took their first steps in December last year as proud bearers of the Foundation in Arts certificates. The FIA is the academic stepping stone to Sunway’s own honours degree programmes validated by Lancaster University.

The Sunway-developed FIA programme lays a strong academic foundation in literacy and numeracy enhanced by enrichment subjects that broaden a student’s understanding of the world.

The inaugural FIA graduating students

Out of the 66, 50 students are continuing their studies in the Lancaster-validated undergraduate programmes at Sunway. 25 of the 50 received the Tan Sri Dato’ Seri (Dr) Jeffrey Cheah Continuing Scholarship by Sunway University College enabling the students to enjoy a substantial cost savings in their tuition fees. The rest of the students are going to Monash University (both in Malaysia and Australia), Victoria University twinning programme at Sunway and other private universities in the Klang Valley.

WONG HUR BENG (left) with Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director

The top scorer was Wong Hur Beng and the student representative of the 2009 graduating class was Leong Ji Kin.

Leong Ji Kin (left) with Mr Lee Weng Keng

The Director of the Foundation in Arts, Mrs Ruma Lopes said “I’m very pleased with the students’ positive attitude of the programme. The course gave the students an opportunity to learn and grow in an atmosphere of inquiry. I wish them success in the future”.

AUSMAT students at Sunway on par with Australian students

marketing — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:45:04 +0000

Two Sunway University College Australian Matriculation (AUSMAT) students shined as they were awarded Certificates of Distinction by the Curriculum Council, Western Australia recently. AUSMAT is the Year 12 curriculum of Western Australia. Manisharaj Kaur Pannu was awarded the Certificate of Distinction for Chemistry with a scaled score of 100 and Sudharsan Thiruvengadam received the Certificate of Distinction for English (Advanced Paper). Manisharaj and Sudharsan were among those who had the highest scores for their subjects in the whole state of Western Australia. Manisharaj was the top student in AUSMAT at Sunway based on her results.

Manisharaj (left) with Mrs Ruma Lopes

Gail Taylor (left) with Sudharsan

Manisharaj will be pursuing Law and Commerce at the University of New South Wales, Australia and Sudharsan will be studying Aerospace Engineering at the Australian National University (ANU), Australia.

Gail Taylor, Consultant Principal, Curriculum Council who attended the AUSMAT awards night at Sunway earlier said “It was good to see Sunway’s students receive Certificates of Distinction based on their exam results, in Chemistry and English. Well done! It is such a marvellous accolade to Sunway’s AUSMAT programme and its lecturers”.

A good number of students qualified to enter medicine in universities such as Monash, IMU, Penang Medical College, Melaka Manipal Medical College and also in universities elsewhere.

Mrs Ruma Lopes, Director of the AUSMAT at Sunway said “More students this year have been able to move on to tertiary studies of their choice. Students are also becoming very diverse in their interest. Top students have also decided to study philosophy and science together as well as in less common specialisations such as English studies and actuarial science”.

SCT students win First Runner Up in SAS PROGRAMMING COMPETITION 2009

marketing — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 10:36:19 +0000

Sunway University College’s School of Computer Technology (SCT) was proud to see 4 of their undergraduate students clinch the 1st runner-up position in the SAS Programming Competition 2009 held recently at UiTM, Shah Alam. The competition was jointly organised by SAS Malaysia and UiTM.

Sunway University College fielded three teams who were coached and guided by SCT academic staff, Ms Angela Lee and Ms Ling Mee Hong. Two of Sunway’s teams beat 9 other teams in the competition to reach the final round of the competition. The team that comprised Jeric Yuen Juin Keat, Au Yong Chee Hau, Yeo Ee Fong and Han Yian Ting made an awesome achievement by winning 1st runner-up in the competition. They won RM500, certificates and a plaque.

Team leader Jeric Yuen, third year Bachelor (Hons) information Systems student said “Although the finals of the competition was a close fight, it was a good exposure for us. I think we did well considering it was a new language for us. We had to attend additional classes, once a week, outside of our regular classes just to prepare for the competition”

The other team that qualified comprised of Foong Cheng Ho, Ang Jiun Long and Lim Vi Kiat.

First School of Science PhD has ties with Sunway

marketing — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:17:05 +0000

In October 2009, Eric Chan Wei Chiang became the first PhD graduate from the School of Science, Monash University, Sunway Campus (MUSC). Eric was formerly a Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP) student at Sunway University College where he obtained his Ontario Secondary School Diploma. After his matriculation in 2000, he pursued his BSc Biotechnology (2001–2003), BSc (Honours) Biotechnology (2004–2005) and PhD (2006–2009) in Monash University Sunway Campus.

Meeting staff of Sunway University College: Eric is second from left with Cheng Mien Wee (Director, Pre-U Studies) to his right and Roslee Yahya (Deputy Director, CIMP) second from right and John Futa (Director of CIMP), extreme right

From his PhD work, Eric Chan has published six papers in international refereed journals as the lead author. The journals included Food Chemistry, LWT – Food Science and Technology, and Gardens’ Bulletin Singapore. One of the papers in Food Chemistry was published as Rapid Communication. He has also presented his findings at international conferences such as the Fourth International Symposium on the Family Zingiberaceae (ginger family), Singapore Botanic Gardens, 3–6 July 2006, Singapore, and the Fifth International Symposium on the Family Zingiberaceae, Xishuangbanna Botanic Gardens, 6–9 July 2009, Yunnan, China.

Leaves of the widely cultivated Etlingera elatior or kantan have outstanding antioxidant, antibacterial and antityrosinase properties. Currently, an agricultural waste with no economic value, the leaves have great potential to be developed into useful natural preservatives and herbal products. Monash University Sunway Campus PhD graduate Eric Chan Wei Chiang has published these findings as part of his pioneering work on ginger leaves.

Eric Chan won the Consolation Prize of the Merck Young Scientist Award (MYSA) 2009 Chromatography Category. He is a Life Member for Academic Excellence, Monash University Chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society since 2002, and a Member of the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) in Okinawa, Japan since 2008. His PhD degree and doctorate title will be conferred during the graduation ceremony in March 2010.

Eric shared on his pre-university experience, “I completed the Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP) at Sunway in 2000 and this turned out to be an important milestone in my career. The pre-university programme had transformed me from a mediocre student in high school to become the best Honours Student (2005) and the first PhD Graduate (2009) of the School of Science, Monash University Sunway Campus. To-date, I have several research publications in international refereed journals as the first author.

Providing an international education experience, CIMP places more emphasis on continuous evaluation of coursework and projects than on examinations. With a balance of science and art subjects in the syllabus, the class environment is conducive for learning, liberal and non-restrictive. Rather than being taught what is right and proper, free expression of views is allowed and even encouraged in class. Students are also trained to conduct research projects, followed by documentation and presentation of findings. I feel these are crucial aspects of the CIMP curriculum, which I have fond memories. My brother Aaron and cousin Li Li also obtained their CIMP diplomas from Sunway in 2002 and 2003, respectively.”

Outstanding Achiever Awards 2009

marketing — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:14:59 +0000

Sunway University College A-Level students who sat the A-Level examinations in June 2009 achieved the Cambridge Outstanding Achiever Awards 2009 by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) recently. These awards are for being top students in Malaysia and the world, for subjects written in the examination.

Ng Hui Sin, Oh Coyin and Thong Ming Sen clinched Top in Malaysia, AS Level awards for Accounting, Biology and Law subjects respectively. The awards for Top in the World, AS Level, were earned by Oh Coyin for Physics and Sarah Chew Jiak Sian for Psychology. Oh did exceptionally well, garnering two awards.

The students attended the presentation ceremony together with their proud subject lecturers and parents. Sunway’s A-Level students have been recipients of Top Student awards by the CIE since 1998. Sunway University College has an established tradition of academic excellence. In the past CIE June and November examinations, the overall pass rates were consistently above 97.5% with at least 27% of its students achieving 3A grades or more.

Due to its excellent track record as a provider for the A-Levels, Sunway University College has earned the status of a Cambridge International Fellowship Centre and is one of about 40 Fellowship Centres in the world from among the more than 1,100 Cambridge centres worldwide.

Saluting Exceptional Students

marketing — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:14:03 +0000

This year’s second Scholarships & Awards Presentation at Sunway University College awarded close to RM2 million in scholarships through the Sunway Education Trust Fund to 285 recipients. Earlier this year in May, Sunway awarded a total of RM3.1 million in scholarships to 785 students. The total that the Trust has dispersed since it was incepted in 1997 is RM50 million in numerous scholarship ceremonies.

The Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah Scholastic Award recipients and representatives with Professor Robert Bignall, Vice-Chancellor, Sunway University College (9th from left)

The Sunway Education Trust Fund has recently been converted to the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation to further solidify Sunway University College’s Founder and Chancellor’s beliefs in the life-changing benefits education. The Foundation seeks to receive and administer funds for educational, scientific, medical and charitable purposes including scholarships based on merit and to those in need of financial assistance.

The latest Chancellors Scholarship recipients, Lee Ker Ching (right) and Vanessa Ong Shu Yu (left) with Puan Sri Datin Seri Dr. Susan Cheah, the wife of the Chancellor of Sunway University College

The ceremony saw scholarship recipients being awarded in five categories that spanned academic achievement, sports and ECA. There were also two Chancellors Scholarship recipients Lee Ker Ching reading the Bachelor of Science Accounting and Finance and Vanessa Ong Shu Yi who is pursuing the Bachelor of Science Psychology. This special scholarship is funded by both Sunway University College and Lancaster University to encourage academic achievement in the Lancaster validated and Sunway developed honours degree programmes in business, computing, psychology, hospitality and tourism management.

(left to right) Ronald, Regina, Puan Khairul Bariah Binti Abdul Rahman, Area Manager, CIMB Bank Berhad; Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director, Sunway University College, Abdulhalim and Nur Hidayah

Sunway University College in collaboration with CIMB Bank Berhad also presented the Sunway University College CIMB ECA Achievers scholarship to academic achievers who involve themselves in ECAs. The recipients were Ronald Soo Ki-Meng, Director of the Sunway University College Student Council 2009 and President of the Swimming Club. The other was Regina Choo Jia Ling, Deputy President of the Sunway University College Student Council 2009. The Sunway University College Sports Scholarship was presented to 17 students who have been active in sport or played sport at state or national level. The Sunway University College–CIMB Sportsman Award recipient was Abdulhalim Abdullahi Liman, Captain of the Sunway football and futsal teams while the Sportswoman award went to Nur Hidayah Binti Adam, a national bowler and President of the Sunway Bowling Club.

Two Times in a Row!

marketing — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:52:24 +0000

Gan (left) with his drawing and Susan Phua, a GMD lecturer

Gan Soon Bing won again in the Tanjong Heritage 2009 art competition. Last year he won first prize in the watercolour category for his pointillism rendition of a Chinese temple. This year he wins the second prize for his uniquely angled pencil drawing of fishermen in Port Dickson in the charcoal/pencil category. Gan completed his diploma in Graphic and Multimedia Design this year and is now working with an advertising agency. Not bad Gan!

Ninth Impressive Performance by MUFY Sunway University College

marketing — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Chew Weng Chuen, a student of the Monash University Foundation Year, pre-university programme at Sunway University College did Sunway University College proud by achieving the highest overall score in the June 2009 exams. His score was ranked the highest among all the providers of MUFY in the world, namely Taylors College Melbourne in Australia, Jakarta International College in Indonesia, Vientiane College in Laos, ANC Sri Lanka, Sunway University College and Sunway College, J.B.

MUFY Top Scorer Chew Weng Chuen (right) with Lee Weng Keng, CEO, Education & Healthcare Division, the Sunway Group

For his outstanding performance, Weng Chuen received the Monash Excellence Award at the recent MUFY Graduation Night and this makes him the ninth winner from MUFY Sunway out of the ten times that the award has been presented. Weng Chuen has been awarded a full scholarship to read engineering at Monash University, Sunway campus.

In the same exams, MUFY at Sunway clinched twenty Monash Subject Awards. The Monash Subject Awards are presented to the students who score the highest mark among all the providers of MUFY in each of the subjects offered.

Nine students qualified for Monash University entrance scholarships to pursue undergraduate studies at the Australian university.

Dr Alan Finkel speaking to Sunway University College MUFY students

Recently, the Chancellor of Monash University, Australia, Dr Alan Finkel paid a visit to Sunway University College. During the visit he spoke to a packed auditorium of MUFY students, on how the university plans to move forward.

Soaring from MUFY to PhD

marketing — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:06:24 +0000

Mark Ng Kok Yew, Alumni of Sunway University College

In 2001, Mark Ng Kok Yew was in the Monash University Foundation Year (MUFY), a pre-university programme at Sunway College before it became Sunway University College. He then went to do an engineering degree at the Monash University, Sunway campus.

In just eight years, he made news, when he became the first graduate from Monash University campus in Bandar Sunway to be conferred a PhD in engineering.

Mark is currently an engineering lecturer at Monash University Sunway Campus and is part of the Robotics, Automation and Manufacturing (RAM) Research Group. He is actively conducting his research in the area of Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI). He recently presented his research findings at international conferences, such as the 2007 International Conference on Control Applications (IEEE) in Singapore and the 2008 International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) in Seoul, Korea.

“I would very much like to see my theoretical work evolve and be implemented onto practical applications, with hope that it could improve the stability, safety and also the reliability of the systems,” he explained.

Describing his achievement as a fulfilment of his childhood dream in another form, he said with a chuckle. “I’ve always wanted to become a doctor. Although I am not a medical doctor now, but being addressed as Dr. Mark Ng sort of fulfils my childhood dream in a way. I feel truly blessed indeed!”

A MUFY lecturer at Sunway University College, Helen James, who taught him English, has this to say about Dr. Ng.

“Mark was a pleasure to teach. He was a teacher’s dream student – someone with an inquiring mind, hard-working and very, respectful. With such an attitude towards his studies and people in general, it really is no surprise that he has reached such heights.”

Advising younger people, Dr. Ng said: “It’s not easy to make a choice sometimes, but I guess I made a right decision when I chose the MUFY programme because it provided me with the foundation that I needed for my undergraduate degree at Monash University. The curriculum was very well organized and I did not face any major difficulties in my studies, transiting from my foundation year at Sunway to Monash.”

“Sunway University College is an institution which offers great facilities and with impressive students academic achievements. Most of all, it is the only institution which offers the MUFY programme that fits well into the undergraduate programme at Monash” he added.

Kudos to Qu Hsueh Ming for His Outstanding World-Class Performance!

marketing — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:24:48 +0000

Qu Hsueh Ming at Oxford

The Sun-U A-Level Programme is proud to announce the emergence from its ranks of yet another world beater!

First, in June 2006, there was Qu Hsueh Ming the pre-university graduate par excellence with a perfect 5A showing in the renowned Cambridge A-Level Examination.

Then, in September 2006, there was Hsueh Ming the Oxford-bound soon-to-be scholar of Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE), with impressive oratorical skills to boot, ready to mingle with Britain’s best.

Today, there is Qu Hsueh Ming, B.A. (Oxon) in PPE, First Class. And deservedly honoured by the famed Oxford University as the crème de la crème of its Philosophy adherents.

Kudos to Hsueh Ming for his outstanding world-class performance! Kudos also to the dedicated team of A-Level educators who set him on his journey there!