2024 ACEEU Asia-Pacific Forum and Triple E Awards

  Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

As the only globally operating quality assurance body, ACEEU – headquartered in Germany - recognises engagement and entrepreneurship in higher education.

Framed around the theme of “Education, Research, and Innovation for Sustainable Development: Amplifying Societal Impact Through Entrepreneurship, Community Engagement and New Technologies”, the 2024 ACEEU Asia-Pacific Forum zeroed in on uniting experts and front-runners to advance the realm of entrepreneurship and community engagement in higher education.

The three-day forum at MSU assembled experts and delegates from over 30 higher education institutions standing for 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Scotland, Taiwan, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates.

  Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

From fuelling keynotes and engaging panel discussions to Pecha Kucha presentations and professional development workshops, the Forum turned to a strategic discourse of groundbreaking findings and diverse insights on entrepreneurship, community engagement, and emerging technologies. Along with the delegates, educators from the Faculty of Business Management and Professional Studies (FBMP) also demonstrated active engagement in the discussions.

Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

Among the notable themes of discussion throughout the Forum were the future of entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education, cross-cultural and transdisciplinary entrepreneurial learning experiences, low-cost early warning systems for forest fires, digital entrepreneurship, empowerment of artificial intelligence, STEM for social impact, machine intelligence for smart farming, and collaborative models for sustainable development.

Management and Science University led the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

ACEEU Chair, Professor Thorsten Kliewe, presented the welcoming address, drawing attention to the vitality of higher education in the 21^st century.

“We live in the era of rapid technological changes, global challenges, and shifting societal needs. It is important to realise that we must evolve to remain relevant, impactful, and transformative. Higher institutions play critical roles in advancing sustainability. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) calls for urgent action across various domains, and universities are uniquely positioned to lead this change,” explained Professor Kliewe.

ACEEU Chair Professor Thorsten Kliewe presented the welcoming address at the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

He also disseminated the stark reality and issues plaguing the advancement despite the sustainable development ventures.

“Many universities still operate as isolated entities, largely disconnected from their communities, slow to adapt to emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence and climate change. Entrepreneurship is more than just starting a business; it is about seeing opportunities while others see problems; and being proactive in the face of uncertainty. Imagine a university where every graduate not only leaves with knowledge but experiences of having applied that knowledge to real-world challenges; a university where students have started businesses and created jobs, developed AI tools that improve healthcare outcomes or designed sustainable solutions that address climate change. This is the future we aspire for, where higher education is the catalyst for innovation, sustainability, and community development.

The first keynote of the Forum was presented by Professor Dr Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid, the President and Founder of MSU.

“From a higher education perspective, MSU is a relatively young university [40 years], with both challenges and opportunities ahead. When UNSDG was launched in 2015, we adopted a sustainable entrepreneurial framework for our University. We have two main goals for our institution: an entrepreneurial mindset across faculties and schools, such as jump-start programmes, MSU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Sandbox (MINES), and MSU 100 (to produce 100 millionaires among our graduates) to name a few, and an industry-embedded ecosystem.”

MSU President Professor Dr Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid delivered first keynote address at the Accrediation Council and Engaged Universities Asia Pacific Forum in September 2024

Professor Dr. Mohd Shukri Ab. Yajid further reiterated that higher learning institutions have been significantly impacted post-COVID-19, wherein planetary health, sustainability, technology, and geoeconomics concerns are being heavily disrupted all over the world. Despite the challenges of convincing the student society and industries to overcome these challenges and reap the benefits of aligning with the ideas, a positive future is probable.

“Provided that we deliver transformative leadership, we can keep up with the demands and expectations of our community. My worry has never been about the emergence of AI. MSU strives to embody humanity. We bring values, innovation, and creativity to the table, which can be achieved through the right curriculum, learning environments, and frames of mind. Innovation intertwines with entrepreneurship, therefore playing a key role in helping the community. Without a purpose-driven approach, it is difficult to reach the goals,” expressed the MSU President.

Subsequently, he also proposed educators to undertake impact-driven and action-learning research as well as innovative strategies to implement ideas into action while structuring the curriculum. For his four decades of visionary leadership, ACEEU bestowed the ‘Pioneering Leadership in Transformative Education’ recognition to Professor Dr. Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid.

The ACEEU Asia Pacific Forum 2024 honoured MSU President Professor Mohd Shukri with Pioneering Leadership in Transformative Education

In conjunction with the Forum, the 2024 Asia-Pacific Triple E Awards was observed at the DoubleTree by Hilton i-City, Shah Alam to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of higher education institutions from Asia-Pacific in entrepreneurship, engagement, and sustainability.

Among the 10 imperative categories highlighting the region’s most contributory institutions, individuals, projects, and programmes in Entrepreneurship and Engagement, MSU emerged as the Engaged & Sustainable University of the Year 2024 and bagged third place for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year.

MSU bagged Engaged and Sustainable University and third place for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year at 2024 Asia Pacific Triple E Awards

MSU bagged Engaged and Sustainable University and third place for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year at 2024 Asia Pacific Triple E Awards

In 2023, ACEEU announced MSU as the Global Green University of the Year and the Top 5 Engaged Global University. The University’s first recognition by ACEEU was in 2019, as Asia’s Most Entrepreneurial and Engaged University. In 2020, MSU was nominated as one of the finalists for ACEEU Asia-Pacific E Awards Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial University of the Year, and Student-Driven Sustainability Project of the Year.

MSU bagged Engaged and Sustainable University and third place for Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year at 2024 Asia Pacific Triple E Awards

MSU has been championing engagement and sustainability efforts through an array of flagship programmes over the decades.

MyCoral CARE, Entrepreneurship Week, Malam Apresiasi Puisi Nusantara, edu-Tourism with Nakamura Girls’ High School (Japan), International Conference on Cardiovascular and Quality of Life (iConCiq), Ideas Regeneration Expo (iReX), Healthcare Equity for Affordable and Rapid Treatment (H.E.A.R.T), Majlis Pelancaran Biasiswa Yayasan MSU, Community Outreach Week, Carnival of Arts and Tourism Engagement (CReATE), and Ihya Ramadan are listed among the acclaimed programmes that solidified engagement and sustainability ventures by the University in 2024.