“When I left Malaysia five years later the Semenyih Campus was fully functioning, including on-site student accommodation; there were about 12 subject disciplines operating or due to start in the year that I left and there were over 2,000 students registered, including students from over 50 countries.”
PROFESSOR BRIAN ATKIN
Former Provost (2003-2008)
Two years after visiting the 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham Malaysia’s first location in Kuala Lumpur, Professor Brian Atkin was made Vice President (now Provost) of the Malaysian campus in 2003 with the target of setting up a fully-fledged purpose-built campus in Semenyih.
He did.
Professor Atkin’s five years on the job in Malaysia is no measure of his love for UNM as he has provided a student prize fund at the Malaysian campus in honour of his late wife Jan Atkin.
The educationist spent all his career with Nottingham 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@, joining in 1974 as a Geology lecturer but after that department closed in 1989, he then moved into the Mining Engineering Department before being named the head of the School of Chemical, Environmental and Mining Engineering in 2000. He was also Vice Dean of the engineering faculty and graduate school at the same time.
That wasn’t all. He helped the International Office with overseas student recruitment, taking part in several missions which led to his move to Malaysia in 2003 until 2008 when he returned to the United Kingdom.
“I took early retirement in 2009 because my wife’s health was deteriorating and I needed to look after her. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2012 and subsequently I established a student prize fund at the Malaysia campus in her honour,” said Professor Atkin, adding he returned to Malaysia three times to present the Jan Atkin prize to nominated students. He remarried in 2015 and now lives happily in southwestern France.
Professor Atkin recalled agreeing to be Vice -President of the Malaysian campus on the condition that the new Semenyih campus would be completed. But as it was to take several years to build, he started in the MISC building in downtown Kuala Lumpur where three subject areas were being offered , Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Business Studies.
“Also, when I arrived in Malaysia there were about 365 students registered in these three subject areas,” he said, noting that his task was to increase student numbers, subjects and ensure a profitable operation as well as developing the Semenyih campus.
“When I left Malaysia five years later the Semenyih Campus was fully functioning, including on-site student accommodation; there were about 12 subject disciplines operating or due to start in the year that I left and there were over 2,000 students registered, including students from over 50 countries,” Professor Atkin said proudly.
He said the initial lack of enthusiasm for UNM changed when the Semenyih campus was operational and more schools in Nottingham became keen to set up in Malaysia.
“There was more interest from the student body to study at Semenyih including a significant number of non-Malaysians, with agreements in place with institutions in Vietnam and Nigeria, another significant development was gaining agreement from the Malaysian Government for MARA sponsored students to study at Semenyih,” Professor Atkin said, adding the research side expanded during his time but he felt that his major achievement was changing the attitudes of those in Nottingham about the merits of overseas campuses.
“In short, taking education to the people rather than bringing the people to the education is beneficial to all if executed well,” Professor Atkin said.