Time to wake up
When I first returned
to Malaysia in March 2011, I was highly motivated to do something significant for my university in Tanjong Malim. I still remember that I was in tears when I was invited by Warwick
Graduate School to give a motivational speech to new doctoral students in
October 2009. I told the audiences that pursuing a degree in top ranked oversea
university was always my dream, and every second of mine in the UK is part of
the dream-fulfilling journey. Having completed my PhD means I should have woken up.
Change for Good?
Despite being away
from Malaysia, I always keep abreast with the development of the country when I was studying in the UK,
especially the change in UPSI. When I read the Amanat VC in early 2010, I was
very excited with the change--a new faculty called Faculty of Art, Computing and Creative Industry was formed, because marrying arts and computing technology should be the way forward. It is like revitalizing the cold, rigid information technology
with the humane soul; while enriching the warm, vibrant arts with the armor of
cutting edge technology. What a wonderful marriage! Besides, having the chair
of Malaysia Design Council, Prof Dato' Ahmad Zainuddin to lead the newly formed faculty is a brilliant
decision, because the Dean could directly link all the faculty members and
students with the creative industry. In fact, a new form of creative industry
could be created right here in Tanjong Malim! I regard this new creative industry as "Educational Creative Content Industry".
Importance of Physical Building as the Faculty
However, when I
stepped into the then new E-Learning Building on 07 March 2011, I was welcomed by many unexpected challenges.
Colleagues from the Art and Design Department expressed their disappointment with the
merging of Faculty of Art and Music and Faculty of ICT. In fact, they felt they had been removed from the
former Art and Music Faculty to join the Faculty of ICT, as another new faculty was formed (Faculty of Music and Performing Arts) and occupied the original faculty building. What was worse, they have
to “tumpang” or physically stay in the faculty building where they formerly led.
In the eyes of some academics of the original Art Department, those who completed PhD from oversea were in fact gained support by the original leaders in the Department—through the endorsement and defense in securing places for further studies oversea. However, when they have completed PhD studies, they were pulled into the IT side, instead
of returning to the Art side--a form of perceived betrayal. In fact, as the university of in the middle of reshuffling staff and restructuring faculties, there were very little options available those who returned from their study.
Importance of Team Building after Restructuring Faculties
Two years passed and I am still waiting for a faculty-wide team building activity. It's a pity that I know more colleagues from other faculties than those who work under the same roof. Malay has a saying: tak kena maka tak cinta. I strongly believe that team building is essential to ensure success in a newly formed organization. I learned this technique in Millton Keyne and I experienced the danger of not having it done and the benefits of having it done. Some may argue that it is rather late to carry out one at this stage, since the faculty is no longer new. To me, it is never too late to mend.
Source: www.pentaeder.de
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