Lincoln University celebrates ongoing partnership with Malaysia

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A TRAVELLING party from New Zealand’s Lincoln University will be in Malaysia over the next four days, celebrating its ongoing partnership with the country’s education system through a series of events in Kuching and Kuala Lumpur.

The party is led by the vice-chancellor Dr Andrew West, who will host an alumni dinner tomorrow evening in Kuching. He will then officiate at a ceremony the following day for graduates of the university’s Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Science in Sustainable Tropical Forest Management, which has been taught in Sarawak’s capital since 2006.

The diploma was initially developed by Lincoln University and the Sarawak Timber Association, with cooperation from the Sarawak Forest Department, to meet the skill needs of the state’s forestry managers.

On Monday evening, West will co-host a second alumni dinner with New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Dr John Subritzky, at the High Commissioner’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.

In addition to students coming to New Zealand to study, Lincoln University has a long association with Malaysia, and with Sarawak in particular. A certificate programme has been run through the university for national park staff, while other Lincoln University staff have been involved in tourism and biodiversity initiatives there. The university also had a significant number of students from Malaysia during the 1960s and 1970s under the Colombo Plan.

“As well as the university staying connected with its alumni, these events also enable alumni to stay connected to each other,” said Lincoln University Alumni and Development director Jo Brady.

The events allow the university to stay connected with the ever growing alumni base in Malaysia, “many of whom have had or are having a significant impact on their regions through the work they are doing,” Brady added.

Information on study options in New Zealand can be found at www.studyinnewzealand.com.