Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management (FSLM), Taylor's University has successfully organized its Annual Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) Meeting virtually for the year of 2021. The IAP Meeting was officiated by Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean for the five schools and one institute under FSLM which are the School of Education, School of Food Studies and Gastronomy, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Media and Communication and Taylor's Culinary Institute.
School of Education
On 22 September 2021, Taylor’s School of Education successfully organized its annual IAP Meeting. The agenda included discussion of matters related to the education field, how the industry is evolving and effects of the pandemic on the educational landscape. Particular focus was also dedicated to Special Education and Early Childhood Education. The panel which comprised industry experts and academics with relevant experiences and qualifications in these areas were invited to the meeting and more than 30 attendees participated in the meeting. During the panel sharing and discussion sessions, various viewpoints and pertinent issues related to education in general and the two target areas were enthusiastically shared and deliberated.
The attendees were deeply enlightened with the vision and goals that all would like to see being realized, for the betterment of Special Education and Early Childhood Education, as well as the field of education as a whole. Some of the discussion topics included the need for further academic research and benchmarking to good practices, challenges of curriculum design and programmes implementation, growth of industry, challenges faced in employing/working with teachers, overview and implications in the international schools setting, and graduate employability and potential career pathways. It was deemed an extremely fruitful meeting in providing input and support to the School of Education’s overall growth and development of programmes and modules in the two target areas.
School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences (SLAS) hold the last Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting on 15 October 2021 virtually with Zoom platform. The meeting was officiated with a Welcome Address by Prof. Dr. Neethiananthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management. Following the welcome address, Associate Prof. Dr. Anindita Dasgupta, Head of School, School of Liberal Arts & Sciences presented the strategic progress of the school in the last two years. The session was well moderated by Ms. Prema Ponnudurai, Head of Department, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
After this introductory session, the meeting was followed by two discussion items. The first was on the emerging trends in industry-operations, resources and digitalization. This discussion was later followed by the second points i.e. on University-Industry collaborative research and publications. After the School IAP meeting session, the meeting was continued with programme IAP sessions in respective programme breakout rooms. Three main trends can be inferred as the take-away from the discussions. Firstly, digital transformation in various industry sectors to be embedded in the curriculum. Secondly, leveraging on collaborative research should be conducted through government and non- government agencies. Thirdly, university should take attention to the importance and focus on student mental health for holistic growth.
American Degree Transfer Program (ADTP) Breakout Session
ADTP Breakout Session was attended by YB Fahmi Fadzil, Member Parliament for Lembah Pantai and an Alumnus of Taylor’s ADTP; Mr. Sun Chee Kong, Founder & Executive Director, DotDash Technologies Sdn Bhd & Vice President, American Alumni Association Malaysia; Mr. Andrew Tiang , N2N Connect Sdn. Bhd; Mr. Gan Kim Khoon, Executive Vice President & Head of Equity Markets AmInvestment Bank Berhad; Dr. Oh Ei Sun, Chairman, KKIP Aerospace Training Centre; Ms. Carolyn Low Chai Foong, Director of Revenue Strategy, The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi and an alumna of Taylor’s ADTP; Mr. Tan Eng Seng, Peace Officer, Rochester Police Department, USA and an Alumnus of Taylor’s ADTP.
Bachelor of Performing Arts Breakout Session
IAP Panel for Bachelor of Performing Arts included Dato’ (Dr.) Faridah Merican, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; Mr. Joe Hasham OAM, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre; Mr. Vik Sivalingam, The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, UK; and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tazul Izan Tajuddin, Faculty of Music, Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Clinical Psychology Breakout Session
IAP Panel for Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Clinical Psychology included Prof. Dato’ Dr. Andrew Mohanraj Chandrasekaran, Malaysian Mental Health Association; Mr. Ho Chi Kian, SDS Associates Sdn Bhd; Prof. Rahmattullah Khan Abdul Wahab Khan, Department of Psychology and Counseling, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris; Mr. Albert Alexander, Chief Executive Officer, Gluecktech Technologies Sdn Bhd; Dr. Ho Koon Leng, SDS Associates Sdn Bhd; Mr. Jackson Tan Guan Hong, PERSOLKELLY Singapore Pte Ltd and Alumnus of Bachelor of Psychology.
Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) in International Relations Breakout Session
IAP Panel for Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) in International Relations included Dato Dr. Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director, Penang Institute; Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Director, Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), University of Dhaka, Bangladesh; Ms. Tricia Yeoh, CEO, Institute for Democracy & Economic Affairs; Ms. Tina Jamaluddin, Country Senior Representative, US – ASEAN Business Council; Mr. Nazery Khalid, Head, Group Corporate Communications, Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Bhd; and Mr. Ali Salman, Founder & CEO, PRIME Institute, Pakistan.
Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) in Social Innovation and Change Breakout Session
IAP Panel for Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) in Social Innovation and Change included Adjunct Prof. Anas Zubedy, Principal Consultant and Founder, Zubedy (M) Sdn Bhd; Ms. Glorene Amala Das, Executive Director of Tenaganita; Mr. Rashvin Pal Singh, Group CEO, Biji-Biji Initiative/Me.Reka; Ms. Ananti Rajasingam, Chief Operating Officer, Yayasan Chow Kit; and Mr. Teoh Ai Hua, Exco Member, Persatuan Pekerja Sosial Malaysia.
Centre for Languages Breakout Session
IAP Panel for the Centre for Languages Breakout Session was attended by Anaïs Deschamps, Head of Education Department, Embassy of France, Malaysia and Sean Smith, Head of Adults, British Council Malaysia.
School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events
Taylor’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events hosted it’s Annual Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) Meeting on 18 November 2021 with over 14 stalwarts from the Hospitality, Tourism and Events Industry. The afternoon was started off with a welcome note by Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean. Dr. Joaquim Dias Soeiro, Head of School, School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events presented a brief of school's achievements followed by the certificate presentation ceremony to the IAP members. Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan initiated the discussion on Upskilling & Reskilling and Work Based Learning approach. With the intriguing discussion and a photo session, the panel proceeded to their respective breakout sessions.
Hospitality Breakout Session
The Hospitality Breakout session hosted Dato' Edward Arthur Holloway, Executive Vice President - Leisure & Hospitality, Genting Malaysia; Mr. Yap Lip Seng, CEO, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH); Mr. Roy Cheng, Managing Consultant, Restaurant and Catering Academy Sdn Bhd; Datin Jasmine Abdullah Heng, Vice Chairman, Dorsett Hospitality International; Mr. David Xavier, General Manager, Impiana KLCC; Mr. Jasen Lee, Managing Director, Global Coffee Resources; Mr. Huza Radzi, Principal Consultant, Huza Radzi Consultancy; and the leadership team from SHTE.
Events & Tourism Breakout Session
The breakout session was attended by YM Tunku Dato’ Seri (Dr.) Iskandar bin Tunku Abdullah, Group Executive Chairman, Melewar Group; Dr. John Chan, Deputy President Asia Pacific, The Oxford Centre for Leadership (UK); Mr. Francis Teo, Head - Convention Centres, Setia City Conventions & President, Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS); Mr. Kenneth Fong, Sales Director, Messe Worldwide Sdn Bhd & Honorary Secretary, MACEOS; Mr. Eric Ho, Executive Director, Pico International (M) Sdn Bhd & Vice President - Industry, MACEOS; and, Ms. Liz Voon, Human Resource, Hot Shoe Show and Company Sdn Bhd.
Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events took the opportunity to thank each and every valuable contribution from the esteemed Industry Advisory Panel members and with a great hope look forward to a greater and a better IAP session in 2022.
School of Food Studies and Gastronomy
Taylor's Culinary Institute
School of Food Studies and Gastronomy (SFSG) & Taylor's Culinary Institute (TCI) hosted its virtual Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) meeting on 9 December 2021 with the IAP members representing Hospitality and Culinary industry. The meeting was officiated with a warm welcome address and presented the certificates of appointments to IAP members by the Executive Dean Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan.
The Taylor’s Culinary Institute Director, Chef Frederic Cerchi and the Head of School, School of Food Studies and Gastronomy, Ms. Siti Ramadhaniatun Ismail have presented the school/institute updates to discuss the key areas and future plans for the school/institute and programmes curriculum.
School of Media and Communication
The School of Media and Communication (SOMAC) at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management, Taylor’s University, recently hosted a virtual meeting with its Industry Advisory Panel featuring representatives from the media & communications industry and alumni from SOMAC.
Among the industry partners who participated in the meeting to provide critical perspectives and feedback to the relevance of the school’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes included Mr. Ravindran Raman Kutty, General Manager, Strategic Communications at MRCB George Kent Sdn Bhd; Adjunct Professor Mr. Mohd Said Bani C.M. Din, Founder of bzBee Consult Sdn Bhd; Adjunct Professor Ms. Lina Tan, Founder and Producer, Red Comm; and Adjunct Associate Professor Mr. Selvaganapathy Periasamy, Senior Copywriter, GREY Group.
The topics discussed during the meeting focused on the viability of offering industrial PhD and bridging gaps in subject relevance between the academia is teaching and what is required by the industry, the impact of digital revolution on the media and communications industry.