Universiti Sains Malaysia: Its Strategic Response to Globalization

Abstract

This chapter presents the history of Universiti Sains Malaysia Malaysia (USM) and discusses the strategic responses taken by its leaders in tackling various issues and challenges plaguing the provision of quality higher education, ranging from educational partnerships, international student support, research and innovation to academic cooperation, research collaborations and organizational and support structures. The authors present a synthesized analysis of USM’s past and current initiatives and explicate the range of market-driven as well as community-led initiatives adopted by USM in helping Malaysia Malaysia and the northern region produce quality human capital development within the current global landscape of diminishing funding provisions for research and development activities. In addition, USM’s role in promoting sustainable higher education activities, as Malaysia Malaysia ’s first university in the Accelerated Programme for Excellence (APEX), is analysed within the present constraints, realities and pressures facing higher education in the country.