Multimedia University (MMU), a tertiary education institution set up through Universiti Telekom Sdn Bhd (UTSB), a wholly owned subsidiary of TM, fulfils the noblest of corporate social responsibilities – taking up the challenge of educating the next generation the nation’s leaders and knowledge workers. As the first private university in Malaysia, MMU developed the pioneer model for the successful
establishment of private universities in the nation, paving the way for the growth of the private tertiary education sector. As the university at the heart of the MSC, MMU also serves as a catalyst for the development of the high tech ICT industry of the nation, parallel to the Silicon Valley-Stanford model in the United States. The university runs in two campuses, its original campus in the historical city of Melaka, and the campus in Cyberjaya that was opened by the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. It has produced 22,820 graduates in its time, and a recent survey demonstrates that 93% of these secure employment within 6 months of the completion of studies. It has also grown an outstanding pool of international students numbering at 4,200 from 75 countries. Establishing itself as a major player in research and development, and maintaining excellent ties with the industry through collaborations and research partnerships, MMU now hosts 13 Research Centres to date, focusing in the niche areas of nanotechnology, microsystems, biometrics, virtual reality, microwave and telecommunications, engineering, photonics, advanced robotics and business. Through an organisation-wide policy of prudent spending and careful budgeting, the university successfully achieved financial independence within the first 3 years of its founding, and continue to be sustainable and financially healthy to this day. This is in spite of a recent infrastructural expansion in both its campuses during the period of 2006 till present, with the completion of the Phase 3 of development in the Melaka Campus and Phase 2 of development in the Cyberjaya Campus. As part of TM’s initiative to further develop the ICT industry in the nation as a whole, MMU serves to fulfil the nation’s human resource needs as it grows into a knowledge economy. The establishment of MMU as a research university also serves to benefit the nation’s ICT industry to be a creator and not just a consumer of technology. Through the establishment of a local private university, the nation can train its required human resources within its borders, a sound strategy from the economic management perspective. MMU’s continued growth and sustainability is a clear indication of TM’s strong commitment towards the development of the field of education and research in the nation.
