Curtin bestows Emeritus Professor title on Mienczakowski
MIRI: Curtin University has honoured Prof Jim Mienczakowski, who is retiring, with the title Emeritus Professor for his distinguished service and successful strategic leadership of Curtin University Malaysia.
Mienczakowski has been pro vice-chancellor, president, and chief executive of Curtin Malaysia, Curtin’s largest international campus and global hub in Asia, since 2013.
He decided to retire after more than 30 years in academia and will be leaving the university at the end of the year with an impeccable record and a distinguished reputation in international education, and his vision and commitment to the university.
The conferral of the prestigious honour was formally announced by deputy vice-chancellor international Prof Seth Kunin on behalf of Curtin University chancellor Prof Deborah Terry at a dinner in Mienczakowski’s honour here recently.
With this ongoing relationship with the university as a special advisor to Curtin Malaysia, there would be continuity in Curtin Malaysia’s strategic direction and policies, including the implementation of a well-defined campus development plan for the next decade, which he set in place.
Pro-chancellor of Curtin Malaysia and former Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said conferral of the title, reserved for veteran scholars and distinguished members of the university’s academic community, was a great honour for Mienczakowski and Curtin Malaysia.
“The conferral of the title of Emeritus Professor marks the first for someone from Curtin Malaysia, in recognition not only of Jim’s achievements as a capable and visionary leader over the last six-and-a-half years, but also as one who has set in place very clearly defined goals for the campus, and initiated actions for the longterm growth and success of our campus in synergy with Curtin’s One Curtin approach to become a truly global university,” said Dr Chan in a statement.
He added that Curtin Malaysia looked forward to Mienczakowski’s continued input and strategic advice in the coming years to ensure it maintains its upward trajectory and vision for the future.
In a congratulatory message from Perth, Terry said Mienczakowski’s leadership has been instrumental in the success of Curtin Malaysia, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
“Under Jim’s leadership, the campus is graduating record numbers of students and was placed at the top of the institutions that achieved a fivestar rating in the 2018 ranking by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.
“And earlier this year, we signed a new agreement to continue the Curtin Malaysia partnership for a further 20 years, ensuring the campus will continue to develop excellent graduates and high-quality research for decades to come. We are well on the way to achieving our goal of Curtin becoming a major contributor to the region’s economic and social development,” said Terry.
Prior to joining Curtin, Mienczakowski was executive director of Higher Education in Abu Dhabi and then later vicechancellor of the Abu Dhabi Education Council Emirate’s College and held senior leadership positions in higher education institutions in Australia, including deputy vice-chancellor roles at Victoria University and Central Queensland University.
Mienczakowski has a Bachelor of Education from University of London’s Institute of Education, a Master of Arts from King’s College, London, and a PhD from Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
He also has a Dip CSSD from London University’s Central School where he studied in the early 1970s.
With a strong background in education, having taught in schools in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the West Indies, Mienczakowski’s teaching and research interests reflect a broad and interdisciplinary approach to research.