12 August 1994 Offshore Teaching for Lincoln Degree Gets Under Way

The first offshore teaching of a Lincoln University degree starts on Monday (15 Aug.) in Malaysia.

The start of the programme, for a Bachelor of Commerce and Management degree, follows the signing in May of an agreement between the Malaysian electricity supply company Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Lincoln University.

The teaching will take place on the campus of Tenaga's training institute near Kuala Lumpur and initially 100 students are involved.

Three Lincoln staff members - Professor David Goodwin and Mr Murray Clark of the Department of Accounting and Valuation and Dr Jim Young of the Centre for Computing and Biometrics - have flown to Malaysia to begin the teaching.

Lincoln's contract with Tenaga has the University teaching substantial components of a Bachelor of Commerce and Management degree for company personnel and the course comprises mainly standard Lincoln papers from its commerce and management area with a small amount of local content. The first three years of the programme will be taught at the Tenaga institute and in the final year the students will come to Lincoln University.

It is believed to be the first such arrangement between a New Zealand university and an overseas conglomerate.

Tenaga Nasional Berhad, a publicly listed company employing 23,000 people, is involved in the generation, distribution and retailing of electricity. Its executive chairman, Tan Sri Dato' Haji (Dr) Ani bin Arope, is president of the Malaysian-New Zealand Business Council.

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.