MAGAZINE / VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

For internal circulation only

For a green cause

Enriching the community

Pursuing their dream!

Training the trainers

Music for a good cause

VOL 0

1I

SS

U E

Advisor : Elizabeth Lee

Editorial Team : Jerrine Koay

(Editor)

Should you have comments, kindly contact: The Public Relations Department Sunway Education Group Tel: 603-7491 8622 pr@sunway.edu.my www.sunway.edu.my/college Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed or implied in are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of Sunway Education Group.

is published four times a year. The name was selected by popular choice by the students themselves to represent a progressive Sunway College, an institution owned and governed by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Since its inception in 1986, Sunway College has always been a leading private institution of higher learning, and it is forever escalating into the next level of excellence. or UPP stands for Uniquely Purposeful Programmes. The Sunway Education Group institutions and services: Sunway University Tel: 603-7491 8622 info@sunway.edu.my sunway.edu.my/university Monash University Sunway Campus Malaysia Tel: 603-5514 6000 info@monash.edu.my www.monash.edu.my Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine Monash University Sunway Campus Malaysia Tel: 603-5514 6000 info@monash.edu.my www.monash.edu.my Sunway International Business & Management Tel: 603-7493 7023 info@sibm.com.my www.sibm.com.my Shanghai Sunway Financial Training Co. Ltd Tel: 603-7491 8622 info@sunway.edu.my www.sunway-tes.cn Sunway Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts Tel: 603-5632 1188 yuwmingh@sunway.edu.my

CONTENTS
Cover Story
For a green cause

Social Responsibility
Enriching the community

Chasing after their dreams Ready for the world out there! Community Scholar makes Sunway proud A-level students off to UK to pursue their dream

Jeffrey Cheah Foundation

Music for a good cause

02
/S

ep
2011

Jacqueline Muriel Lim

(Sub-Editor & Writer)

Laveenia Theertha Pathy

(Writer)

Publisher : Sunway Education Group Concept + Design : Yoong & Ng Consulting Printer: Ocean Transfer (M) Sdn Bhd

Sunway College Tel: 603-5638 7176 info@sunway.edu.my sunway.edu.my/college Sunway College Johor Bahru Tel: 607-359 6880 infojb@sunway.edu.my www.sunway.edu.my/jb Sunway College Ipoh Tel: 605-545 4398 infoipoh@sunway.edu.my www.sunway.edu.my/ipoh

Sunway College Kuching Tel: (6082) 232 780/236 666 info@swck.edu.my www.sunwaycollegekuching.edu.my Sunway-TES Tel: 603-7491 8622 info@sunway.edu.my www.sunway.edu.my

Features
12 15 17
Spreading its wings to Vietnam Strengthening Malaysias financial sector From Korea with love

Hallmarks
6 7 9 14

Happenings
13 16 18
Training the trainers All about Maths & Equations Tax challenge launched

In Brief
19
Lost, but Found

10

Your Views
5
Listen to what they say about climate change

Cover Story

For a CAUSE

n Malaysia, deforestation is moving at a fast pace due to rapid development, logging activities and clearing for huge plantations. According to the World Bank, trees are being cut down at four times the sustainable rate. Over a span of 15 years between 1990 and 2005, Malaysia has virtually lost 6.6% of its forest cover, or around 1.5 million hectares. This is one reason why the country is experiencing a dramatic change in its weather. If new trees are not Matthias Gelbe r and Tan Men g Chwen (extre planted now to replace the me right) with the CIMP stud ents ones that have been cut down, the situation may worsen. Helming the efforts to plant new trees are both local councils, residents associations and even organisations such as Eco-Warriors. When the clarion call was sounded, Sunway College students were in the forefront, helping out with a tree planting exercise in Section 13, Shah Alam, which was part of the ongoing Shah Alam Rivers and Trees for Life programme. The group, comprising 32 students of the Canadian International Matriculation Programme (CIMP), joined others from SEGi, Masterskills, Taylors College, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Universiti Tun Abdul Razak, Management Science University (MSU), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Sime Darby Group, Maxis, Sathya Sai Baba, USJ Rotary Club and the Eco Warriors. Corporations such as DHL Malaysia and Petronas Gas Berhad provided equipment such as hoes, wheelbarrows, gloves, and food and drinks for the participants. The project was supervised by the MBSAs Parks and Recreation Department, with the help of the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), State Forestry Department, and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). The event, organised by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) together with the Sathya Sai Baba Council, saw over a thousand trees planted along the bank of the Damansara River in Shah Alam. To date, a total of 6,417 trees were planted throughout the programme, comprising more than 20 species such as cherry, clove, cinnamon, tembusu and merbau. MBSA is hoping to achieve the target of 80,000 trees.
VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

Cover Story Great Fun Eco-Warriors founder, 43-year-old German-born Matthias Gelber said it is time for Malaysians to realise the importance of carbon sinks. In order to compensate for the loss of trees, efforts are being carried out to plant more trees by replanting at peat forests and any location such as riverbanks to prevent erosion as well as green the area, he said. Voted the Greenest Man on the Planet by a Canadian-based website, Gelber said he was pleased with the participation of young people in the MBSA-sponsored project. It shows that they care enough about the environment and the Earth, that they were willing to give up one whole day to help plant trees, he said. We hope more people will join us in our next tree planting exercises. Gelber said it is also good for young people to sweat it out and meet other young people when they turn up for the tree planting exercise. Most of us are slightly overweight and we hardly take time off to do some exercise, he added. If we have one hour to spare, we rather hang out at the nearest caf for a drink and chat. Why not join us and have some fun together? Gelber has been living in Malaysia, where he made this country his second home since 2004. I love the country, and the weather here, except that it could be better, if it were slightly cooler, he said. Gelber has also endeared himself to many Malaysians. He often appears as a speaker in seminars and workshops with a Green agenda. Get Excited! We need to take responsibility for the environment we live in, said Tan. We need to plant more trees. Plus, its fun to get dirty for a good cause. 70 students from Sunway CIMP will be participating in the next tree planting exercise at Sg. Damansara, Section 13, Shah Alam on 25 September 2011

Carbon Sink According to CIMP senior lecturer, Tan Meng Chwen, the students participation was one of the many community service projects they needed to do to obtain their Ontario Secondary School Diploma at Sunway, and it was a positive step towards educating young people about the importance of trees. Trees make up an important part of the ecosystem, he said. They make a carbon sink, which acts as a natural reservoir. They accumulate and store carbon-containing chemical compounds for an indefinite period. The significance of carbon sinks has grown since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, aimed at fighting global warming by planting trees as a form of carbon offset. This is because trees are effective in removing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. However, public awareness of the significance of carbon sinks is still very low and efforts by people like the EcoWarriors are highly commendable. More Sunway students and staff should participate in tree planting exercises, Tan said.

MAGAZINE

Your Views

Listen to what they say about CLIMATIC CHANGE:

17-year-old CIMP student from the Maldives, Shaadhoon Mohemed Haleem says: We are trying to spread the awareness about the environment. We need to be proactive to make the world a better place to live in. He urges every world citizen to be concerned about climatic change. Maldives is sinking slowly every year. If it is happening to our country, it will happen to a number of other countries in the world. We will all face the same future. Tree planting is a good way to save the world and to make it a greener planet.

Ng An Jie, 18, from Subang Jaya, who is currently pursuing her Foundation in Arts programme, says public transportation has to improve in order to reduce the need to burn fossil fuels. We should carpool or use the public transportation services to reduce our carbon footprint. We can also plant more trees, save water and use less electricity, especially the air-conditioners which consume a lot of energy. Instead of Styrofoam, we should use Tupperware. All these are things that we, as individuals, can do. I have become aware of the deterioration of our environment since last year.

Monash University Foundation Year student, Gabriel Tio Yong Ping, 18, from Puchong says: The air is polluted. People are not carpooling these days. More trees are being removed. Rubbish is thrown everywhere, when it should be recycled. We are consuming more resources than is sustainable. We should stop wasting resources such as food, water, electricity and fossil fuels. I see a future for renewable energies such as solar power. If tomorrow I were to purchase a car, I would choose a solar powered car. The costs are recoverable in the long run; besides, petrol prices are going up.

VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

Hallmarks

Chasing after their

dreams

he powerful words of one famous American essayist, poet and philosopher had inspired and emboldened Sunway Colleges A-Level 2010 students to press forward to live out their dreams.

Based on the June and November examinations last year, a total of ten Sunway A-levels students had garnered 16 Outstanding Cambridge Learner Awards by the CIE this year. One of them, Tan Juan, who was class valedictorian, scored the highest mark for Mathematics for the January/ March 2010 intake; he will be heading to Cambridge University to read Medicine. Others such as Wong Sue Yinn (class valedictorian for July 2010 batch) scored the highest marks in three subjects Economics, Accounting and Psychology. Fellow student, Lee Guo Zheng also emerged as the highest achiever in three Science subjects Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
Go confidently now in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau, famous American essayist, poet and philosopher.

Similarly, Lewis Au Shang Ming from the January 2010 intake emerged highest achiever for Accounting and Economics, bagging the Tan Sri Dato Seri (Dr.) Jeffrey Cheah Special Entrance Scholarship, while How Wei Jun from March 2010 intake scored highest marks in Biology and Physics.

They were part of a total of 257 students from the three intakes in January, March and July 2010. Their achievements were celebrated during the A-Level Achievement and Awards Ceremony (Triple-A Night, in short). Executive Director of Sunway Education Group, Elizabeth Lee said that the achievements by the students are a testimony of Sunways strong academic grounding using tried and tested teaching methods in the A-levels programme. We have once again achieved our mission in grooming and shaping our students, she said, adding that Sunway has consistently managed to secure a consistent number of `Top in the World and Top in Malaysia awards, given by the Cambridge International Examinations over the years since 1987. Besides a big emphasis on academic performance, she said, the Sunway A-Level programme also provides a myriad of opportunities for students to develop their leadership, communication and timemanagement abilities through the activities of the A-Level student council, ALSCO.

1 From left: Lewis Au Shang Ming, with Dr Wong Yoke Chen, Director of A-Levels and Professor Robert Bignall 2 Tan Juan receiving his certificate from Anthony Guo, Professor of Mechanical Engineering (Monash) and Head of School, while Dr Wong (centre) looked on. 3 Wong Sue Yinn receiving her certificate from Professor Guo with Dr Wong (centre).

MAGAZINE

Hallmarks

Ready

for the world out there!

hree top students were among 53 scholarship recipients of the Tan Sri Dato Seri (Dr) Jeffrey Cheah Continuing Scholarship, who will continue to pursue their undergraduate studies in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Accounting and Finance at Sunway University.

Top scorer, Ho Su Ann accumulated a total score of 92.05%, followed by Ku Gim Chai at 90.00% and Ng Wan Ru with 88.90% in Sunway Colleges Foundation in Arts (FIA), a home-grown pre-university programme. Meanwhile, Michelle Chu Ee Lee and Farah Naquiyah binti Roslan were awarded the Special Award of Encouragement for English and Mathematics, respectively, for displaying growth and achievement throughout the entire FIA programme. Twelve of the students were also awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for organising extracurricular activities throughout their study course in FIA. This years graduation ceremony saw a sixth batch of 98 graduating students, who Sunway Education Groups Executive Director, Elizabeth Lee said, had demonstrated dedication, determination and enthusiasm throughout their course of the FIA programme. You have transformed from the day you arrived right up to the day you graduate, Lee told the graduates. It is time to turn mirrors into windows and make the right decisions about your destiny. Lee said that the FIA lecturers have consistently delivered high standards and enthused students with a sense of curiosity and passion, under the dedicated guidance of Ruma Lopes, Director of the FIA. Representing the FIA July 2010 batch, Kenneth Ng Kheng Chien compared the journey he and his classmates had undertaken to a rollercoaster ride. But we have learnt to trust through our trials and tribulations and have become what we are today because of the new people we have met and are fortunate to experience a brand new environment packed with knowledge that is sufficient for the university life and the outside world, he said. The whole class gave a rendition of the song titled You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban to serenade their teachers. A majority of the graduating class will be pursuing their undergraduate studies at Sunway University. Also present at the graduating ceremony were Lee Weng Keng, CEO Education and Health Care, Sunway Group; Professor David Ngo Chek Ling, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Sunway University; Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director, Sunway Education Group and Dr Khatijah Khalid, Chief Executive, Sunway College.

A total of 53 students received the Tan Sri Dato Seri (Dr) Jeffrey Cheah Continuing Scholarship to pursue their undergraduate studies at Sunway University.

VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

Social Responsibility

MAGAZINE

ng Coalfields, of SJK (T) Lada d, as students dramatized. ls rolle ory was being and their eyebal idge, as the st were wide open given a quiz oken Br heir eyes yed, they were tensely The Br loh followed in thoroughly enjo n Sungei Bu hich the childre ion was over, w swered. Once the sess d questions an e raised an on, hands wer to session, and so ey were taught ing lessons. Th a popular nging and danc si rm e given some e stage to perfo of children wer they took to th hes Another group pt them in stitc in Tamil, before which ke and one ngs in English chicken dance, the sing three so had fun doing e children also di dance. Thes dance. Hin step of the through every ar (MUFY) as they followed Foundation Ye ash University w d Mon taught them ho the children an school library, ith fun for both ts also was packed w re-organise the t to uden The day also helped ou p of Sunway st students, who a games. A grou Moral Studies was also given her telematch ch child and ot n of ping pong the children. Ea ined to play a spoo e photo shoot. ts, which enterta ents who did th nce experimen of Sunway stud ed out two scie carri ks to a group d otograph, than hool, organise passport size ph ect at a rural sc Enrichment Proj munity unity Com emed, Comm en involved in rt of a project th College has be d The visit was pa nway. Sunway ents participate ent of Su UFY stud A total of 88 M Studies departm ation. by the Moral a holistic educ give students ice Projects to Serv e y event. e donated to th in the whole da computers wer l of 20 personal teaching ta the ctor of ITS, a to rther enhance Tony Lee, Dire ses. This will fu W ith the help of r computer clas ed in thei will now be us school, which ocess. the hope and lear ning pr ol children, with ith primary scho ts w rm relationship establish contac tablish a long te ay students to to create and es it allowed Sunw udents will act The vis t intended me. Sunway st off activity bu entee program not be a one itiative taken Mentor-M that it will pend on the in ild through the with a rural ch ogramme will de veloping this pr (2011-2015) guiding and de he success of d counsellor. T s and means of an s way as an advisor Sunway MUFY ty to think out Coordinator of entor is at liber drew Sachdev, mentor. The m An by the success, says ds academic the child towar ar. t this ye richment Projec Community En

e community Enriching th

Hallmarks

Community scholar makes

Sunway proud I

f not for the Tun Dato Seri Omar Ong Community Scholarship, Ng Boon Wai says he would not have been that fortunate to join the ranks as an ACCA graduate. The community scholar, who is currently working in Ernst & Young Malaysia as an audit associate, recently wrote to thank his alma mater for the support he received from the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (previously, Sunway Education Trust Fund) under the Tun Dato Seri Omar Ong Community Scholarship, which has been set up since 2001.

Facts & Figures of Community Scholarship

Established : Objective : 15 September 2001 To provide the underprivileged a chance to pursue an education.

Total Scholarships Awarded : 48 Graduated : 28 Still studying : 20 Partner : Malaysian Care Homes benefitted : Rumah Ozanam, Rumah KIDS, Rumah Juara and Desa Amal Jireh.

The scholarship helped me to fully focus on my studies, he says, revealing the secret behind his outstanding results. I did not have to worry about the tuition fees and accommodation. All I had to do was to put my full attention to the lectures and complete my assignments on time. This is the main reason I achieved outstanding results throughout the studies of CAT and ACCA. With the money that he received from the Foundation, Boon Wai used it to purchase some good reference books. Besides the text books, these books further enhanced my academic knowledge, he said. I am keeping these books to refer anytime, without having to borrow from the library. On his experience of studying at Sunway, Boon Wai, who recently turned on his experience of studying at 21, shares: It was indeed a great experience! The environment at Sunway is very conducive for learning. There are a lot of students, who are here from different parts of the world. It was nice to make new friends. This gives me a new and different perspective of life, learning from these international students. Never for once did he let go of the opportunity to pursue his further studies. Being a student of ACCA at Sunway is always challenging, he admits. Sunway-TES is the most famous institution providing ACCA course in Malaysia. Most of the ACCA students at Sunway are very good students. There was a lot of competition in class and we had to work harder to excel. In fact, this is one of the biggest motivating factors for me to work harder. The Tun Dato Seri Omar Ong Community Scholarship is offered to youths from the marginal sector of the community such as those residing in Homes or from economically challenged households. The original idea was to give the underprivileged a chance to pursue an education and to make a transformation in their lives.
VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

round 800 people were mesmerised by the charity recital entitled, A Celebration of Music: Butterfly Lovers and Love Songs, ably performed by the International Ensemble of the Perak Society of Performing Arts, an icon of music-making in Asia since 2007. Led by its conductor, Eugene Pook, the orchestra also featured Penangborn tenor, Tan Wei Han, who is widely recognised as one of the top tenors in Malaysia. The Charity Recital, hosted by Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, also showcased the Sunway University Ensemble, made up of students, alumni and staff, as well as students from the Department of Performance and Media, Sunway University, who performed an original dance and movement called The Growing Seeds led by second year student, Keilly Lim May Harn. All proceeds from the Charity Recital were channeled to the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, which seeks to give back to society by making quality education available to deserving students through the provision of scholarships and research grants.

Music for a good cause

10

MAGAZINE

Jeffrey Cheah Foundation

Features

Spreading its wings to Vietnam

Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between Sunway-TES and Hanoi University recently. caught up with Executive Director of SunwayTES, Teo Ee Sing to find out more about the agreement.

: What exactly is this agreement about? Teo: With this agreement, we will literally be spreading our wings to Vietnam. We will be providing the technical expertise, comprehension and support to conduct a number of courses on a full time basis at Hanoi University in Vietnam. These include the courses on a full time basis Foundation in Accountancy, Diploma in Accounting and Business, Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business, ACCA Professional Qualification and Bachelor of Science (Honours) Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University (OBU). : What is Hanoi Universitys role then? Teo: Hanoi University will be responsible to provide all on-site education facilities and equipment such as lecture rooms and facilities, sport and recreational facilities and other general facilities required to conduct the programmes. Its president, Professor Dr Nguyen Dinh Luan, has said that he is confident the agreement will lead to a dynamic growth in the economies of both Malaysia and Vietnam. : Is Sunway-TES doing this alone? Teo: No, we have a tripartite arrangement. We are undertaking this in collaboration with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). : What will be the outcome of the arrangement? Teo: The students at Hanoi University will receive three certificates from ACCA and one from Oxford Brookes University. It will take approximately four years to complete the full-time programme at Hanoi University. One year of English programme is mandatory for the students in order to strengthen their English proficiency. Thereafter, they have to complete another three years of the professional accounting studies before they do a 3-month work-based learning programme with employers in Vietnam. If they perform well at work, they may be offered a position by their employers. : How do you view this milestone? Teo: Indeed, it is an achievement for Sunway-TES. We are happy to contribute towards nation building in Vietnam.

Teo: It is an achievement for Sunway-TES

AGREEMENT INKED: (From Left) Nguyen Huy Quang, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department, Hanoi University; Dr Nguyen Dinh Luan, President, Hanoi University; Lee Weng Keng, Chief Executive Officer, Education and Healthcare Division, Sunway Group; Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director, Sunway-TES Sdn Bhd.

The agreement was signed between Lee Weng Keng, Chief Executive Officer of Education and Healthcare Division of Sunway Group and Professor Nguyen Dinh Luan, President of Hanoi University, while Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director, Sunway-TES and Nguyen Huy Quang, Deputy Director of International Cooperation Department were witnesses. Also present at the ceremony were Professor Robert Bignall, Vice-Chancellor, Sunway University; Do Van Anh, Vice Dean of Faculty of Management and Tourism, Hanoi University; Elaine Hong, BDO Binder E.D, Corporate Office; Jennifer Lopez, Head of ACCA Malaysia; and staff of Sunway Education Group.

12

MAGAZINE

Happenings

The delegates from China with Teo Ee Sing, Elizabeth Lee, Dr Hou Kok Chung, Puan Sri Datin Seri Dr Susan Cheah, Lee Weng Keng and Ada Leung

Training the trainers

or the delegation of 40 university lecturers from 17 institutions of higher learning in the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), the visit to Malaysia recently was eye-opening.

They were jointly hosted by Sunway University, Sunway College, ACCA Malaysia and KPMG Malaysia for a week-long conference, where Sunway-TES, in collaboration with ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) China, provided the inaugural Sunway-TES ACCA Train-the-Trainers Conference 2011. Officiated by Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Dr. Hou Kok Chung, the conference was aimed at building a network of regional centres of excellence that provide the ACCA programme by tapping on Sunway-TES tested expertise and proven track record of success and achievement. This is Sunway TESs way of sharing knowledge cross-border style, by which teachers also benefit and graduate employability is greatly enhanced, said its Executive Director, Teo Ee Sing. It is a significant milestone for Sunway-TES and also for Malaysia in general as a local educational institution is undertaking an opportunity not often seen in the academic field today. The Sunway-TES ACCA Train-the-Trainers Conference trains trainers in one of the most sought after professional programmes, which is the ACCA qualification, he added.
VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

13

Hallmarks

First row from left: Tan Yaw Bia, Leong Yean Long, Yeow Kin Yoong, How Wei Jun, Gan Fang Wen, Chen Wen Yin, Sonia Lee Yi Jie, Chan Pik Ee, Foong Kuan Ngee, Tan Juan, Aaron Tan Wai Kit and Poon Shi Sum. Second row: A-Level lecturers with Elizabeth Lee (6th from right) and Cheng Mien Wee, Director of Pre-University studies (extreme right).

A-Level students off to UK to pursue their dream

welve of Sunway Colleges A-Level students gained entry into top universities in United Kingdom. Tan Juan and Gan Fang Wen, have secured places in Cambridge to read Medicine. Gan Fang Wen had previously garnered the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) awards, including a Top in the World for Mathematics AS-Level.

A-LEVEL GRADUATES Tan Juan Gan Fang Wen Chan Pik Ee How Wei Jun Poon Shi Sum Foong Kuan Ngee Chen Wen Yin Yeow Kin Yoong Sonia Lee Yi Jie Leong Yean Long Tan Yaw Bia Aaron Tan Wai Kit

UNIVERSITY Cambridge University Cambridge University Bristol University Leicester University Liverpool University Heriot-Watt University LSE University University of Hong Kong Kings College Imperial University Imperial University Edinburg University

PROGRAMME Medicine Medicine Medicine Medicine Medicine Actuarial Science Actuarial Science Actuarial Science Dentistry Mathematics majoring in Statistics Biotechnology with Management Biochemistry

Tan Juan explained why he chose to study Medicine. I was heavily influenced by my parents to pursue Medicine, he said. My father is an Anaesthetist with Sunway Medical Centre while my mother is a Nurse. I grew up in an environment where the interest in medicine was emphasised and in turn, I developed a passion for it.

14

MAGAZINE

Features

Strengthening Malaysias
financial sector

an Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of Bank Negara, Malaysia in her opening remarks at the Asia Institute of Finance (AIF) International Symposium 2011 said Malaysia will prioritise talent development in the financial sector. Based on statistics from 2010, Malaysia, with only 375 qualified Certified Financial Analysts (CFA) and 2,305 CFA examination candidates is a far cry from Singapores 1,305 CFA Charter holders and 6,441 examination candidates. This situation will hopefully improve EXCHANGE OF when Sunway-TES, a MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTA Becker Profess NDING (from lef ional Education leading tuition provider t): Benjamin W ; Thng Beng Education and ong, Director of Hooi, Managin Healthcare Divis g Director, AB Business Opera ion, Sunway Gr in Finance and Maximus; Lee tions, Asia Pacif oup; Teo Ee Sin Weng Keng, Ch ic, g, Executive Di ief Executive Of rector of Sunw Accounting, begins ficer, ay-TES to offer the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme for all levels of studies in Malaysia from August this year. The Memorandum of Understanding inked with AB Maximus & Co Pte Ltd in Singapore will allow industry practitioners and graduates to attend part-time classes at Sunway College in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya campus during the weekends. According to Sunway-TES Executive Director, Teo Ee Sing, the graduate-level programme of the CFA Institute in the United States of America is designed to develop competencies and professionalism required in investment management and advisory services. It is one of the most widely recognised and respected qualifications in investment worldwide. There are four functional areas in the CFA programme, with ten general topics covering a wide scope from Ethical and Professional Standards and Investment Tools to Asset Valuation and Portfolio Management and Wealth Planning, which will help the students better understand their daily job, he said. On completion of three levels of CFA examinations, and with four years of relevant work experience, the graduate will be awarded the CFA Charter, which is widely recognised by investors, investment practitioners, employers, regulators and the media across the world to be the highest ethical, educational and professional standard in the investment community. This is a global passport to success in the careers of investment. At the signing ceremony, Lee Weng Keng, Chief Executive Officer, Education and Healthcare Division, Sunway Group, also took the opportunity to give away Sunway scholarships to five ACCA students whose team emerged as Champion during the Bursa Malaysia - CFA Malaysia Investment Research Challenge (IRC) in January this year. Sunway students, Lum Ying Ling, Chong Yew Tian, Tan Kee Hoong, Sean Lim and Aaron Kee beat teams from University of Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia, who took the runner-up and second runner-up spots, respectively. The Sunway team represented Malaysia in the Asia-Pacific Regional Finals in Bali, Indonesia.

VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

15

Happenings

Maths
pril 9, Saturday morning: All of us lecturers, SUN-U ambassadors, ALSCO members, and our beloved Dr. Wong Yoke Chen played our part to ensure that the event ran smoothly. With everyones co-operation, and blessings from the Almighty, the event was a thumping success. From as early as 7.15 AM, all the facilitators were gathered at NW4-6 to have our breakfast. By 7.45 AM, when the first bus arrived, we were ready to welcome the students with bright smiles! After registering them, we ushered them to the breakfast area to have a chilling snack time before the grueling time started. Dr. Wong gave a very welcoming speech. Upon her instruction, round one of the competition began. Each participant was required to complete a multiple choice paper within 40 minutes. The silence was deafening you could not miss even a pin drop! While the teenagers were cracking their heads solving mathematic questions, their teachers and parents were attending a workshop on Critical Thinking, conducted by the Psychology Department. At 10.00 AM sharp, the questions and answer sheets were collected.

&

All about

Equations
School. The first runners-up were Liew Zi Qing and Lee Gin Hoong of Chong Hwa Independent High School. As expected, the How twin brothers emerged as champions. They were offered a full scholarship to do the Sunway A-Level programme! The prizes for the team winners were presented by the deputy vice-chancellor of Sunway University, Professor David Ngo. For all of us, the event was indeed well planned and it brings reminiscence even as I write. I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of my fellow students, to thank the Math Challenge committee, Dr. Wong Yoke Chen, Director of the Cambridge A-Level Programme, Mr Yong Yau, Mr Lee Choo Sik, Ms Wong Sock Leng, Ms Low Ann-Ann, Ms Tan Ee Hoon, Ms Amy Khoo, Mr Lee Lip Seong, Ms Soo Yoke Pei and their colleagues from the Marketing Department. We, the student ambassadors, student volunteers, and the ALSCO members had lots of fun in making this event a success. We thank you all for the wonderful experience. (Brenda Goh is a Sunway student currently doing her A-Level Programme from our Jan 2011 intake)

By Brenda Goh

Into its fifth year now, the Sunway A-Level Math & Logic Challenge never fails to attract 16 to 18-year-old mathematics enthusiasts. This year, a total of 410 participants from 105 schools were involved.

Scorekeepers, Pragaash, Daniel Fong and Ivan Lim were in charge of marking and tabulating the scores, while the participants went for a break. Then, came the exciting Round 2. The competitors were placed into groups of two. They were given only a short time to solve a set of questions, specially designed for them by our A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics lecturers. When the time was up, the timekeepers, Rena Foong, Katherine and Wen Yu, rang the bell. Their final answers were marked. We were mostly fascinated by the twins from USJ 12 How Si Yu and How Si Wei and their ability to answer the questions in mere seconds, correctly! There were more than 10 questions in that round and they managed to answer every single question confidently and precisely. Next, came the prize giving ceremony. The top 21 individual scorers were announced and the winners went up the stage, full of pride to receive their prizes from our Pre-University Director, Ms Cheng Mien Wee. The announcement was made to call out the second runners-up, Lim Chin Guan and Tee Xun Chun from Hin Hua High

16

MAGAZINE

Features

From
By Ng Liang Keat

with

Love

orea has always been a country that fascinated me. Never have I thought that I would be able to live there for almost a month. However, before leaving Malaysia with my Victoria University course mates, Teo Hilyan and Khoo Hui Sue, I had mixed feelings, wondering about my acceptance by the people in Korea and, also, if the All the participants of the Summer School programme programme was going to be fun. Everything changed when I landed and met others on the same programme from USA, Taiwan and, of course, Korea. The activities in the programme were fun-filled. Every day, we attended classes on language, politics and customs. The language class had certainly taught me basic conversation, and I am now able to speak a little Korean. I was fortunate to visit many places such as Gyeonju, a four-hour drive from Seoul. The beautiful scenery there was such a sight that it will indeed be engraved in my memory for a lifetime. Tourist areas such as Myeongdong and Dongdaemun were also the places I had managed to visit as they were very near to our dormitory. The Han River cruise was my first ever cruise; it was certainly interesting and we had fun taking photographs and interacting whilst on the cruise. The Summer School Programme has enabled me to meet friends from all over the world. We made a promise to keep in touch with each other from time to time. Exchanging our experiences and culture has also been an eye opener to me. Never did I think that I could have friends from multiple countries. They were all very friendly and kind to me throughout the programme. Korea is indeed a fascinating country, with its many tourist attractions and shows. We were given the opportunity to see the very interesting and hilarious Nanta show and B-boy dance show. I was even invited to go on stage to participate in the Nanta show, where I acted as the bridegroom. It was an experience which I will always remember. All in all, I had learnt so much from the Summer School Programme. It was indeed an unforgettable experience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank VU@Sunway and Hansung University for this wonderful experience.

(Ng, second from right, together with Teo Hilyan (left) and Khoo Hui Sue (second from left) participated in the Hansung University International Summer School in South Korea from 6 to 29 July 2011 with one of the US participants, Matt.)

VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

17

Happenings

TAX

CHALLENGE launched

he fourth edition of the Deloitte Tax Challenge launched at Sunway University recently is a show of commitment by both Deloitte KassimChan Tax Services Sdn Bhd and Sunway-TES to promote Tax profession as a career to undergraduates of all universities in Malaysia.

Mr Teo Ee Sing, Mr Yee Wee Peng (centre) and Nizar Najib pressing the green button to mark the launch of the Deloitte Tax Challenge 2011.

Mr Yee Wee Peng, MD, Deloitte KassimChan presenting his speech to the audience during the launch.

Touted the only event of its kind in Malaysia, the Deloitte Tax Challenge saw the participation of 80 teams and a total of 1,843 participants in 2010, compared to 56 teams and 1,192 students in 2009. Also present was Nizar Najib, Executive Director of Deloitte KassimChan Tax Services Sdn Bhd, who presented a speech on talent management. Nizar Najib, son of Prime In 2010, the competition, which Minister Dato Seri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Hj Abdul Razak was a student of Sunwayfirst made its debut in 2008, saw TES, who pursued his studies in the ICAEW ACA. Sunway-TES students emerging as top four of five finalists in both the individual and group categories respectively. In the individual category, the champion was Wong Xinjie, followed by Tan Kee Hoong, Lum Kar Hoe and Lee Chuan Han taking the First Runner-Up, Second Runner-Up and Merit award winners, respectively. In the group category the A-Team were champions, followed by Team Pioneer (First Runner-Up), Team Tax Dynamics (Second Runner-Up) and Team Taxelicious (Merit Award), all of whom comprised students of Sunway-TES.

While jointly officiating the event this year, Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director of Sunway TES, said Sunway-TES is pleased to play a role and help achieve the objectives of this challenge. We hope to diminish the myth in the tax profession and at the same time expose students into the world of tax before they pursue their career pathway, he said. Managing Director of Deloitte KassimChan Tax Services Sdn. Bhd, Yee Wing Peng offered Deloitte as the launching pad for the students career aspirations. Where Nizar Najib, Executive Director of Deloitte you have thousands of immensely talented KassimChan presented a speech about Talent undergraduates contesting to outsmart Management during the launch. each other in taxation knowledge, the best talents emerge, he said. We are hopeful that those who choose Deloitte will be successfully groomed and developed into highly sought-after tax specialists in the country as well as internationally.

Mr Teo Ee Sing, Executive Director of Sunway-TES presenting the welcome address during the launch.

18

MAGAZINE

In Brief

but found

ldiiar Kemelbekov was very grateful when Canadian International Matriculation Programme student, Erfan Shakid handed him the mobile phone which he had earlier lost.

According to Eldiiar, his family would be anxious and worried about him if they could not get hold of him because he had lost his phone on May 24. Since all the phone numbers of his relatives were stored in the phone, Eldiiar had no way of contacting them, as he could not recall their numbers off hand. The 10th Grade Sunway International School (SIS) student from Kyrgyzstan said, when he realised he had misplaced the phone, he immediately went back to the classroom in which he last recalled seeing it. It was gone! I proceeded to the Security Department to make a report of my lost Nokia N96 mobile phone at 5:30pm, he said. By 5.50pm, I received a call from Mr. Gopal Kandasamy, Manager of the Security Department, who had arranged for Erfan to hand over the phone to me. According to Erfan, who hails from Iran, the phone was found in the North Building, West Wing Level 1 at 5:40pm. He then reported it to the Security Department. During the handover, Tan Kheng Loon, Director of Operations said Sunway College is very honoured to have many honest students come forward with items they have found. These items have been safely returned to their owners with the cooperation of the Security Department, he said. Sunway hopes to cultivate honesty within its staff and students, in order to provide a safer environment for learning and growth.

A grateful Eldiar (left) shaking hands with Erfan Shakid, while Security Manager, Gopal Kandasamy looks on.

VOL 01 ISSUE 02 / Sep 2011

19

20

MAGAZINE