19 September 2000 NZ's largest overseas Graduation Ceremony

The largest overseas graduation ceremony by a New Zealand university takes place in Malaysia on 7 October when Lincoln University caps over 165 graduates at a ceremony to be attended by 600 guests including the New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia.

Those graduating are largely from Lincoln University's commerce degree programme taught in partnership with Malaysia's Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). When initiated in 1994, this was the first off-shore teaching of a New Zealand university degree.

The students in the classes to date have performed with distinction and a number of graduates from past years now occupy responsible government and business positions in Malaysia.

Lincoln's Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and a party of senior staff members will travel to Malaysia for the ceremony which will be the University's ninth international graduation since the first one for overseas students in 1995.

The ceremony will be held on the UNITEN campus at Bangi, Kuala Lumpur.

In previous years Lincoln has held two ceremonies annually off-shore, one for students graduating from the UNITEN programme and the other for overseas students who have completed their degrees on the Lincoln campus but have returned home before the University's New Zealand ceremony. This year only one overseas ceremony will be held.

In addition to New Zealand's High Commissioner to Malaysia, Sarah Dennis, invited guests of honour at the ceremony include Malaysia's Federal Minister of Agriculture, Datuk Effendi, the Rector of UNITEN, and the Chief Executive of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's largest public utility company.

The bulk of the degrees to be conferred are Bachelor of Commerce and Management (BCM) but there will also be 29 Bachelor of Commerce with Honours degrees awarded.

"The Lincoln-UNITEN association has been a very positive one," says Lincoln University's International Director, Geoff Ormandy.

"In the time it has been running, over 500 students have graduated. While the undergraduate programme has been based in Malaysia, some students have travelled to New Zealand for part of their studies.

"A feature of the partnership has been the opportunities that the teaching arrangements have provided for Lincoln staff members to work and live for short periods in Malaysia.

"The UNITEN-Lincoln collaboration is regarded by observers as an excellent example of international education co-operation and the model has been used as an example of 'best practice' in international collaboration in international education journals," says Mr Ormandy.

While Lincoln is the smallest of New Zealand's eight universities, with a roll of just under 4000, it is the most international. The total student enrolment includes 24 percent international students, with 58 different countries represented. Students from Malaysia make up half of the international number.

Lincoln has agreements with five Malaysian universities – Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Malaysia, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Universiti Putra Malaysia and the Universiti Sains Malaysia. The agreements include student and staff exchanges, programme development, staff professional development and collaborative research activities.

In addition to Malaysian students enrolled on its New Zealand campus, Lincoln has 75 students enrolled in a Sarawak-based eco-tourism management training programme and 125 enrolled at UNITEN. There are also a number of students studying in Malaysia at various approved institutes and colleges prior to articulating to Lincoln to complete full degree study.

Lincoln has had a close relationship with Malaysia since the 1950s when the first Malaysians studied at the University under the Colombo Plan. A number of alumni from the era are in pivotal government and private positions in Malaysia including the former CEO of Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Tan Sri Ani Arope, and Sarawak's Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.

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