Universitas 21 is honoured to announce that the 2017 Gilbert Medal has been awarded to Professor Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, the 14th President of the International Association of Universities. Professor Dzul has a long and distinguished track record of university leadership, including spells as Vice Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM, 2000-2011) and of Albukhary International University (AiU, 2011-2013), where he developed the concept of "the humaniversity". He has served in various capacities internationally, including an executive committee member of: Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Advisory Education Hub Committee, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) and the Advisory Committee of World Universities Forum. He was the President of Association of Southeast Asia Institutions of Higher Learning (ASAIHL).
When the name of this year’s recipient was announced, Universitas 21 chair Professor Sir David Eastwood commented “Awarded annually by Universitas 21 to honour our founding Chair, Alan Gilbert, the recipients have been those who have made the sector stop, reflect, think and move forward more informed and more enriched for the challenges of the future. Both within Malaysia and beyond, Professor Dzul is recognised as a thoughtful and reflective leader and we are delighted to acknowledge this through the award of the Gilbert Medal 2017.”
His long term commitment to an integrated approach to internationalisation, to a sustainable (sejahtera) approach to international HE and his tireless work to support and develop the clearly public good dimensions of HE means he is a worthy recipient of this, the highest honour Universitas 21 can bestow. He has been distinctive in his willingness to challenge western knowledge systems and to support the development and dissemination of alternative views on science, philosophy and education through his work on decolonising universities.
On learning of the award, Professor Dzul said, “I am humbled to receive this recognition from my esteemed peers on behalf of the many people who have courageously worked collectively to ensure that higher education is a right rather than a privilege in creating a more just, equitable, accessible and sustainable world.”
Professor Dzul will be presented with the Gilbert Medal at a gala dinner at the University of Nottingham on 4 May 2017. The medal itself features the winning design from a competition among students at Lund University. Sweden. The medal is manufactured in the world-renowned Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, UK and has been described by the craftsmen who work on it as “simply stunning”.
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Note to editors: Universitas 21 is a network of 25 research-led universities around the world. It aims to promote and achieve collaboration, co-operation and work of a comprehensive nature, drawing on a strong bond of collegiality found between similarly-minded universities all of whom occupy a highly-regarded status in their respective global regions and among the global league tables. The membership comprises: University of Amsterdam, University of Auckland, University of Birmingham, University of British Columbia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, University of Connecticut, University of Delhi, University College Dublin, University of Edinburgh, Fudan University, University of Glasgow, University of Hong Kong, University of Johannesburg, Korea University, Lund University, University of Maryland, McGill University, University of Melbourne, Tecnológico de Monterrey , University of New South Wales, University of Nottingham, The Ohio State University, University of Queensland, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, National University of Singapore.
For further information about Universitas 21, please contact:
Jane Usherwood, Secretary General, [email protected] / +44 (0)7879 668998
Ben Griffiths, Communications Manager, [email protected] / +44 (0)121 415 8870
