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Chief minister visits home away from home, in ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ

Monday, 3 December 2001

A NEW "slice of Malaysia" will be opened in ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ on Tuesday, December 4 by the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Malaysia, YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Tan Sri Taib is a graduate of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University (Law degree 1960, Doctor of the University 1994) and a major benefactor, having donated $300,000 to the University. He will be arriving in ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ for two days from 4-5 December.

In 1987 his first gift to the University helped to refurbish the Law School and establish the Australian Centre for Environmental Law. The Chief Minister's commitment to the university has been integral to the establishment of the University's links with South-East Asia.

With a small part of the money donated, the Alumni, Community Relations & Development office has established the new Malaysian Room, complete with Malaysian furniture and artefacts from Sarawak, the largest State in Malaysia.

"For more than 50 years Malaysian students have played an important part in the life of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University," says the Director of Alumni, Community Relations & Development, Ms Rachael Oliphant.

"The Malaysian Room, which is part of our offices at 230 North Terrace, is an acknowledgment of the unique contribution Malaysian graduates have made to Australia, their own nation and the region. It is also a tribute to the generosity of the Chief Minister, who is one of our most distinguished alumni."

Tan Sri Taib studied at ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University under the Colombo Plan, a government-sponsored scholarship that helped educate many of Malaysia's best and brightest students. He has long been a supporter of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University and is also the Chairman of the Malaysia-Australia Foundation.

This year there are 600 Malaysian students studying at ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University, and that number is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University has two major education partners in Malaysia: the Sepang Institute of Technology and INTI College. As many as 150 new students will enter ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ University in 2002 from INTI College, many of them from the Kuching Campus in Sarawak.

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