(Article from The Brunei Times – Click for larger view though if BT had an archive it wouldn’t have been necessary)
I insist that UBD is a girl!
However, gender issues of the building aside, I think that this is a good move by UBD. It reasserts their position as the ultimate centre for academic knowledge and prestigious lifelong learning.
People sometimes forget that the country has a University that is capable of not only educating 20-year-olds with 3 A’ Levels and a credit in O’Level English and Malay, but is also jam-packed with famous Googleable academicians. Some with a history so exalted that one can’t help but wonder, what are they doing here?
They have left their comfortable jobs as Professors in a university department at some exotic country for a meagre pay in University of Brunei Darussalam in the name of research, a passion that these groups of sometimes eccentric people share. Some came here in the name of helping this little country that could really achieve so much more with their God-given resources.
Thousands of articles has been published in International Journals by them and most of them has published many many books. Some even used as textbooks in another country. Most have had their hand in teaching some of the most notable characters in the world.
So yes, we are paying a lot to keep these people here. They should be overworked instead of underutilised. These lecturers, they’re UBD’s biggest asset, and most probably the best part of the University. It’s administration and policies I have problems about, but the lecturers: top-notch.
Use them wisely.
iammaurina 
That’s exactly what our lecturers are saying too, Maurina. Some of them can obtain jobs at their respective countries with a better pay, but due to the environment and the rainforest, they decided to stay.
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and i think becos brunei is a peaceful country with ‘less’ traffic jams than other countries.. hehe
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you’d think they’d treat their lecturers like assets? …
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who?
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Googleable academicians? Could you please give a few good examples?
Sure, I know their names occassionally crop up on Brudirect.com but I have not found any UBD prof.’s name on the Nobel website or on Wikipedia. Please help me.
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Nobel Prize? Adeh, must one win the Nobel Prize to be Googleable?
Plus, Wikipedia is really not the ONLY source of information out there on the internet you know.
Brudirect.com? Please don’t insult them.
Look up their names on the UBD website and marvel yourself with publications of the Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press and various international journals.
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With due respect to all UBDians, I am not worried so much about the quality of lecturers but pretty worried about the moral values of students and undergraduates especially your ‘gender sisterhood’ Maurina (hopefully you are an exception).
I keep on getting bad vibes about how “female” UBDians treat sex (before marriage) as second nature to them? I don’t know for sure but a woman graduate even told me that JIS boys were made as preys, too… UBDian guys outnumbered?
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Hmm, saying such sweeping statements, that this issue is only restricted to UBD undergraduates is a big big big mistake.
I am dumbfounded on the fact that you are only concerned of the morality of students in UBD?
Perhaps you might just look away from this academic institution which is full of different people with different priorities and glance around elsewhere, in shopping areas, in Government institutions, in coffeeshops?
I am not trying to defend them, though it is their business anyway and has nothing to do with me.
Furthermore, even if it IS true, why only the women? What makes you say that the men in UBD are not equally promiscuous? Or is it okay for a man to treat premarital sex as normal but not a woman? My religion, I am afraid, does not work that way.
Plus, why does it matter? It is between them and Allah or their own God equivalent if they’re not Muslim. If it does not impune on their work productivity and will not involve anyone else, durang yang dipalu bah nanti di kubur. Between them and God.
So chill okay? And, furthermore, hey, your friend is only one person? It was a sweeping statement not backed up by real evidence. A misrepresentation. So yea, chill!
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Yea, let’s chill out, Maurina. I am still worried about the impact of such social misdemeanours. In fact, one male friend who had graduated from your esteemed and respectable institution has expressed his concern too when many of his (then) women lecture mates confided to him about their ‘sexual digressions’. Meaning to say, something has to be done fast to curb such ‘sins’ from getting out of control, particularly among Malay Muslims. Perhaps, as an influential student in UBD, I suggest you have a chat with the Dean of the Sultan Hj Omar Ali Saifuddien Institute of Islamic Studies to see how UBD can come up with an Islamic awareness campaign on the social ills of “Zina di luar nikah” or “Sexual promiscuity out of wedlock” or however appropriate the term and phrase should be coined. This is no small matter.
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The thing is that, these “immoral” people you are talking about are adults. Not teenagers. Adults. People who are responsible for themselves. People who do not need some Dean, or some girl blogger with some voice of authority, to tell them what to do.
Why are you even so adamant about this? Frankly I am insulted that you have this view of UBD students. You are implying that we UBD female students are immoral and promiscuous and the thing is, it needs TWO to tango. Or do you also have another “female friend who shall not be named” who says that we also practice lesbianism? Males there are apparently all victims with OUR sexual excapades and grimace with shock and horror?
If that is what you think then, someone needs to get down from their pedestal of self righteousness sooner than expected and join the rest of us unperfect mortals.
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No worries, Maurina, I am a mere mortal of imperfect behaviour and character, too. I can only pray that the former Vice-Chancellor of UBD, the late Professor Dato Dr Hj Mahmud Saedon, shall not turn in his grave on this most grave issue of ‘immorality’ amongst present day Muslim students — Al-Fatihah.
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If certain quarters insist on exporting expatriates and aggressively localizing the teaching population, they are both deluded and living past their time. Brunei is so small, we need these lecturers to remind us that we are not top at anything (yet). The goal should never be to localize the university workforce, but to produce great local graduates who are marketable (for their own, and not the government’s sake) overseas.
The lecturers are googleable, and I hope that a Bruneian also becomes googlable…in an area OTHER than regional studies, Malay literature and such. Give us some scientists, social experts, linguists, mathemeticians or business experts! Worldwide, useful skills!
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PS, yes! I agree.
That was why, I found POKSP Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj. Ahmad Bin Hj Jumat’s speech during the Livewire to be really really relevant. We are naturally gifted, we just need to be surrounded in a more conducive environment, where creativity is inspired and not stifled!
Patience PS, the time will come. 🙂
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Lots of our local lecturers are googlelable. You just need to know their pseudonym, what name they use to identify themselves in academic circles. For example, K Salim, a real scientist from the Biology Department, Mas R Wati and N Kifli from Institute of Medicine, Asmah Morni, Early Childhood Specialist from SHBIE, Irene P A Cheong, also from SHBIE, a dedicated environmentalist, Lim L B L, from Chemistry Department, an many many more. You can get their names from the UBD website and google them yourself. The ones I mentioned above are all women, but there are also local male bruneian scientists around. Now google away..
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One of my most favourite lecturers of all time is Dr Hajah Mona Yati binti Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Kassim. And I heard she made quite an impressive presentation yesterday at the Orchid Garden Hotel during an international women’s conference hosted by Negara Brunei Darussalam. Bravo!
Google her name and Dr Hjh Mona is No. 32 in the ‘Invited Speakers’ list below (Pheewiittt!):
“Invited keynote speakers and about 35 experts will address a variety of topics and issues that would be of particular interest to you and your organization to do business in the Asian Continent. Nevertheless, national and international management executives, business practitioners, researchers and venture capitalists will converge in Kuala Lumpur in what promises to be an informative and enlightening conference.
—————————————————————–
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
1 Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Ahmad Sarji bin Abdul Hamid, Chairman of Chairman of Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM) and Malaysian National Equity Corporation (PNB)
2 YBhg. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA, UKM) and Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON, UKM)
3 YBhg Tan Sri Dato’ Muhammad Ali Hashim, Group Chief Executive, Johor Corporation
4 Yang Arif Datin Paduka Zaleha bt Zahari, High Court Judge In Malaya
5 Prof. Dr. Jinap Selamat, Dean, Faculty of Science and Food Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia
6 YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Salleh Mohd. Yasin, Vice Chancellor, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
INVITED SPEAKERS
1 Prof. Dr. Ataul Huq Pramanik, Prof at Kuliyyah Economics and Management Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia
2 Prof. Dr. Wan Mohd. Nor Wan Daud, Visiting Professor at the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA, UKM)
3 Prof. Dr. Dru Gladney, Prof. Of Asian Studies & Anthropology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
4 Mr. Bakyt Kazakbaev, First Secretary of the Kyrgyz Republic Embassy
5 Prof. Dr. Gracia S. Ugut, Associate Dean, Executive Education & Lifelong Learning Centre, Asian Institute of Management, Philippines
6 Mr. Andi Buchari, Director General, Bank Mualamat Indonesia
7 Prof. Dr. Obiyathulla Ismath Bacha, Professor and Director of the Management Centre, International Islamic University Malaysia
8 Mr. John Yip Hsien Chang, General Manager, Fixed Income and Structural Finance, Debt Capital Market, Hong Leong Bank Berhad
9 Dato’ Dr. Kamaruddin Sharif, Principal Fellow, Faculty of Economics & Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
10 Dr. Dadang Muljawan, Researcher, Directorate for Islamic Banking, Bank Indonesia
11 Mr. Wan Abdul Rahim Wan Kamil, CEO, Abrar Discount Berhad
12 Mr. Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak, Assistant General Manager Consumer Banking of Bank Islam Malaysia (BIMB)
13 Prof. Datuk Dr. Mazlan Othman, Director General, National Space Agency of Malaysia
14 Datuk Rafiah Salim, Executive Director, International Centre For Leadership in Finance
15 BRA Mooryati Soedibyo, President Director, Mustika Ratu Tbk, Indonesia
16 Datuk Dr. Norraesah Mohamad, Chairman, Alcatel
17 Prof. Dr. Louie Divinagracia, Prof at De La Salle University, Philippines
18 Datuk Dr. Syed Othman Al Habshi, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak
19 Tuan Hj. Nik Mustapha Nik Hasan, Deputy Director General, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (IKIM)
20 Dr Humayon Dar (on leave from Loughborough University) Vice President Dar Al Istithmar Limited
21 Mr. Hamid L. Sharif, Assistant General Counsel, Asian Development Bank
22 Prof. Sukor Kasim, Managing Director, Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia
23 Prof. Dr. Sudin Haron, Prof. at Faculty of Finance and Banking, Universiti Utara Malaysia
24 Dr. Ibrahim Alomar, Vice Dean, Business and Economics College, Qassim University in Saudi Arabia
25 Mr. Adwin Wibisono, DDB Indonesia
26 Mr. Shahar Noor, Associate Director for Corporate Communications, Panasonic Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
27 Dr. Mohd Noor Mamat, Principal Research Officer, Tech-Economics Unit, Malaysia Palm Oil Board
29 Tuan Hj. Aziz Isa, Vice President, Marketing Sales and Operations, KFC Holdings
30 Mr. Yakub Feng, Director, New Power Energy (Dongguan) Co. Ltd, China
31 Mrs. Dyah Suminar, Executive Director of Margaria Group, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
32 Dr. Hjh. Mona Yati Mohamad Kassim, Lecturer, Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies, University of Brunei Darussalam
33 Dato’ Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh, Executive Chairman, Nadicorp Holdings Sdn. Bhd.
34 Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jamal Othman, Lecturer, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
35 Mr. Mohamed Arshad Sehan, Chief of Financial and Consumer Credit Sector, Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia (BKRM)
36 Ar. YM Raja Dato’ Kamarul Baharin Shah bin Raja Ahmad Shah, Senibahri Arkitek
37 Dr. Rock-Antoine Mehanna, Vice President, Academy of International Business, Lebanese American University
38 Dr Zakaria Abdullah, Panel Syariah Malaysian Islamic Consumer Association.
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When i was at Uni in the Uk we had some really ‘big name’ lecturers and professors teaching us. My personal tutor was a ‘big name’ in academia and i felt lucky to be tutored by him. Big name professors and lecturers make a big difference to a University’s stature and ranking. That is why Singapore’s NUS and Harvard and some of the big Unis retain their top 20 Unis in the world ranking. UBD has some respectable lecturers let down by poor administration and (dare i say it) students. I dont mean stupid but i meant UBD students lack variety and differing opinions. Its almost homogenous. Big Unis like Harvard, Oxbridge, LSE and others also retain their ranking because of their variety of student experiences and background.
UBD has some way to go if they want to attain their “1st class university” dream.
my view on abruneilifer.blogspot.com
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