The 20th anniversary ceremony kicked off  “American Week” at Sunway, a celebration of all things American through a full slate of activities that included a product fair, book display, lecture series, 3-on-3 basketball competition and a Halloween costume night. “American Week” was organized by the American Degree Transfer Program at Sunway to be celebrated in conjunction with the 20th anniversary festivities to increase understanding about United States’ culture.

Representing WMU at the opening ceremonies in Malaysia were Dr. Timothy Greene, dean of WMU’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Bill Woods, associate dean of the Haenicke Institute. They presented a plaque to Sunway officials sent by WMU President John Dunn honoring the 20-year relationship.  Dr. Greene also delivered a guest lecture on the advantages of a career in engineering and the many benefits of studying on Western’s engineering campus.

 What began as just a dream by Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah in the 1980s has been realized, surpassing its humble beginnings. Demand for higher education from a growing middle class had surpassed the capacity of university classrooms in Malaysia. The Malaysian government appealed to the private sector to create private colleges that could offer additional access to higher education. Sunway College was born in response to that demand in 1987 and found temporary quarters in Petaling Jaya.  In partnership with WMU, Sunway’s announced goal was to someday become a “world-class institution and the leader in private education in Malaysia.”

WMU was the sole American partner, signing a contract with Sunway College in 1987 to develop twinning programs in business administration, communications and computer science. Twinning programs with two British universities, four Australian universities, and one in New Zealand were added during Sunway’s first five years. Generally speaking, twinning students complete about half of their degree in their homeland and the other half at an overseas institution.

In 1993, the SungeiWay Group opened a purpose-built, 22-acre campus in Bandar Sunway, a satellite city developed ten miles west of Kuala Lumpur. That campus now offers more than 60 classrooms, several lecture halls, laboratories for languages, computers, engineering, and the sciences, a library, a bookstore, recreational facilities and a full-time security service. With student housing available for more than 1,150 students, Sunway became the first private college in Malaysia to offer students the ability to study and live in a campus environment, rather than having long commutes to campus.

Woods has traveled extensively in Asia, and has for 20 years been responsible for negotiating contracts on three continents and directing international grants and contracts. He was part of the delegation that traveled to Malaysia when the partnership was begun that led to Sunway’s founding.

“It was an honor to represent Western at the ceremony,” Woods said. “Sunway is now looking ahead to the next 20 years and advancing its goal of becoming a world-class institution offering superior teaching and up-to-date facilities in a university campus environment. As one of its original partners, WMU is committed to further academic support as Sunway University College continues its journey to excellence in higher education.”