IT’S OFFICIAL: Lau (left) exchanges the MoU documents with Dr Haslam for the establishment of University of Chester campus in Senadin.
MIRI: University of Chester, the 174-year-old renowned and long established university in the United Kingdom, is to establish its first offshore campus here.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish academic programmes in multiple disiciplines at Desa Senadin, Miri, was signed yesterday between the university and Miri Housing Development of Reality Sdn Bhd.
The signatories were Dato Lau Siu Wai – executive chairman of Miri Housing Group of Companies and the university’s Pro Vice Chancellor Dr Christopher John Haslam.
Lau said the decision to bring in Chester University is part of their commitment to help develop Miri City into an education hub.
“I have said it many times, to maintain and accelerate the economic growth of Miri without depending on oil and gas and plantation we should also think of turning Miri into a city of education excellence.
“It is not just in name only and for this reason we take part in building the hotel, our shopping complex, the Bintang Megamall and by July we should start our Water Theme Park, the biggest one and will help Miri to grow,” said Lau.
Lau said the construction of the RM15 million college would start this year so that classes could commence next year. In the following two years, the college would be upgraded to a university.The initial stage of development will be on a 9-acre site.
He said for future expansion, Miri Housing will allocate more land from its 700-acre reserve.
Dr Haslam said their decision to finally open an offshore campus and selecting Miri was because they have full confidence in Miri Housing and that Miri is strategically placed for students in this region.
“We had so far no overseas campus. As a university we are very cautious about our university standard.
“This development of Miri campus is special and important for us. We have confidence, too, in the developer,” he said, adding that Shell, too, is in important business partner of the univesity.
He added that Chester University, set up in 1839, is one of the most popular universities in the UK. Currently, it has 17,000 students from over 70 countries, and for its 3,000 undergraduate places this year, it has already received 24,000 applications.