Towards a multicultural campus
BEGINNING this month, 869 new students joined the undergraduate programmes at the Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) 60.7ha campus in Sepang.
Of this number, 557 are from China.
This is the largest intake of Chinese students since the university’s inception in February 2016.
Since it started, 4,050 students have enrolled at the university. More than 40% are international students from 22 different countries.
The students are from Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Zambia, Turkmenistan, Korea, Yemen, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Japan, Myanmar, Syria, Kazakhstan, India, Pakistan, Algeria, Somalia and Tajikistan.
Students are offered free English preparatory classes before the start of the semester.
XMUM also helps the students to register for several English tests – including the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Malaysian University English Test (MUET) and Pearson Test of English (PTE) – in advance, supporting them to attain the required score at the earliest possible time.
To help the new students adapt to their surroundings, orientation activities were held for two days.
They were introduced to their new curricula as well as the diverse and inclusive campus culture.
The orientation included a campus tour, ice-breaking games, seniors sharing sessions as well as other student activities.
The freshmen also spent time with their seniors and were offered valuable suggestions about their college life.
Staff from XMUM management teams, namely Library, IT, Finance and Student Affairs Office, also gave briefings regarding their respective functions and responsibilities.
The orientation activities culmi- nated with a gala night with the theme, “X’Eve Dream Night”.
Students showcased their talents with various performances. They built bonds and forged friendships in the warm and friendly campus community.
XMUM president Prof Wang Ruifang and student council president Zhang Renyuan welcomed the students.
“XMUM is committed to build a multicultural campus and to pur- sue educational excellence.
“The establishment of XMUM sets new heights in the areas of cooperation and exchange in education between China and Malaysia,” Prof Wang told the more than 1,000 students who attended X’Eve Dream Night.
He reminded the students about the XMUM motto,
“Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection”.
The university currently offers two foundation programmes and 15 undergraduate programmes, including two new programmes, the Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics and Bachelor of Arts in Advertising from October this year.
More programmes including XMUM’s first Master’s programme, a Master in Business Administration is expected to be offered in the near future.