Thank You to ALL from Taylor's University - QS World University Rankings 2022

Taylor’s vision for the future has always been clear: achieving balanced excellence, being recognised as a leading private university locally and globally, and equipping students to graduate in demand. We are delighted to announce that Taylor’s University has been recently recognized as the Top Private University in Malaysia and Southeast Asia for two consecutive years. Leaping 47 ranks to #332 in the QS World University Rankings 2022, we are now placed among the top 1.1% of the most influential universities globally.

This success is a testament to our commitment in providing quality education for our students. More importantly, the honour belongs not just to us, but to the entire Taylor’sphere™ community, encompassing dedicated lecturers and researchers, our industry partners, alumni, and most of all, our students and their parents.

HEX Talk on Tourism 2021: Is Malaysia Ready for the 'Vaccine Passport'?

The School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE) of Taylor's University and PATA Malaysia Taylor's Student Chapter organized a virtual HEX Talk on Tourism: Is Malaysia Ready for the 'Vaccine Passport'?. This virtual HEX talk aimed to discover the public awareness and acceptance level of 'Vaccine Passport' initiatives while discussing the impacts on the hospitality and tourism industries.

The forum attracted prominent personalities from the tourism, education and healthcare industry. Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC); Y.M Tunku Dato' Seri (Dr) Iskandar bin Tunku Abdullah, Group Executive Chairman, Melewar Group; Dr. Azhar Azahari, Regional Business Development and Area Manager (Asia Pacific) & International Air Transport Association (IATA); Mr. Uzaidi Udanis, President, Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC); Mr. Francis Teo, President, Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS) and Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor's University were invited to share their views on Vaccine Passport efforts and the impact on the hospitality and tourism industries.

The virtual talk started with a welcoming speech by Ms. Teresa Dines and Ms. April Lim from committee members of PATA MTSC and followed by opening speech from Dr. Joaquim Dias Soeiro, Head of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, thanked all speakers who were willing to share their pieces of knowledge and experiences on 'Vaccine Passport' efforts.

Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd Arif, as the Keynote Speaker presented on the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council's efforts and experiences in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia since 2020 and how the organization is welcoming the 'Vaccine Passport' initiatives. He also expressed the hope of rebranding Malaysia as a safe and trusted destination with a vaccine immunization programme. YBhg. Prof. Dr. Victor Wee moderated the forum presented by the five Panel Speakers who shared their views on the Vaccine Passport initiative.

The virtual talk ended successfully with a closing remark by Dr. Lisa Tung, Programme Director of School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events. Around 250 participants from various industries including education, travel, tourism, events and healthcare joined and actively participated in this virtual talk. The insights shared by the speakers made this virtual talk a fruitful session for all the audience.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joe Qiao Li as Keynote Speaker at Film Directors Forum 2021, Beijing Film Academy

Associate Professor Dr. Joe Qiao Li from School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) was invited as Keynote Speaker at Film Directors Forum 2021 organized by Beijing Film Academy (Qingdao) on 24 May 2021. He shared his latest research on Chinese national cinema and presented a dialogue on “Jia Zhangke’s A Touch of Sin (2013): Tradition, Modernity and Dystopia”. Beijing Film Academy (Qingdao) organized the Film Directors Forum on a semester basis and invited both film scholars and film directors/producers from China as well as overseas. Dr. Joe delivered a 2-hour speech on Jia Zhangke’s cinema to the forum attendees at BFA campus in Qingdao via Zoom.

The dialogue was well received and was followed by a Q &A session. The speech adopted a sociological approach in combination with film aesthetics to discuss Jia Zhangke’s cinema in a context of modern China where digital economy dictates every aspect of an individual’s life. The new approach and findings to the subject attracted warm response from the attendees, film scholars, and film professionals both in China and overseas. A number of PhD candidates in media and communication from SOMAC, Taylor’s University also joined the talk virtually.