The Association

Greetings from The Faculty of Science,
 

We are happy to welcome you to the Faculty of Science Alumni Association (FoSAA) website. This website, a subset of the UM Alumni, is open to all former graduates of the Faculty as well as non-UM graduates who wish to join. The FoSAA website is an enabler for our alumni to maintain connectivity thereby informing members on current issues and challenges faced by the Faculty as well as provide support for various programs and activities. 

But first, let us trace our roots. UM was formed in Singapore in 1949 by the amalgamation of two colleges, King Edward VII College of Medicine and Raffles College. However in 1959, a decision was made to split UM into a Singapore division and a KL division. The official separation happened in 1961. Pantai Valley in KL became the new home for UM. Thus we have been in existence for over a half century, a very young degree-granting institution when compared with University of Bologna (1088), but very old when compared with the plethora of new universities that are mushrooming in our country. 

Being the oldest means that we are the first and arguably the best in many areas. Without a doubt, UM graduates wielded the greatest influence on the Malaysian political, economic and cultural landscape. UM has produced more prominent scientists, government ministers, top civil servants, captains of industry and cultural personalities than other local universities. 

Why is FoSAA different from the other faculties’ associations? Well, it differs from the rest in the sense that FoSAA members have been schooled in the scientific method and will have a scientific world-view. Members of FoSAA can then form sub-groups in line with their pet interests, organise social events, provide mailing groups, facebook, twitters and raise funds for the Alumni. The intention is to provide a variety of benefits and services that can help the Alumni maintain connections to FoS and fellow graduates. FoSAA can also contribute by giving views on how to raise educational standards, give career advice and keep our curriculum relevant to the needs of the ever changing world. 

Raising funds is another important part of the FoSAA activity. Our fiscally successful graduates will be invited to give back to the alma mater in the form of donations, big or small. Every cent counts and will be fruitfully used to reinvest in the transformation of UM to become a world class university. 

UM has recently reached number 87 in the QS ranking and aimed to achieve as high as number 50. However to achieve this target requires extra funding, prompting UM to embark on a Transformation Plan in order to achieve greater autonomy. Under this plan, UM will build a conference centre, a holistic primary care centre and solicit funds from industry to boost high impact research. Within a few years, the transformation will have changed UM profoundly. 

I urge each alumnus to look back at what you have gained since the day you walked through the gates of UM, your invaluable lessons and experiences. The reason that we have progressed thus far is due to the massive contributions made by the government and philanthropists. Countless others have lent their shoulders for us to stand on and our successes rest on the selfless efforts of the previous generations. I hope that you share our dream and join the FoSAA, thereby enriching yourselves and others in the process.

PROFESSOR DR. SHARIFAH MOHAMAD
Chairman
FoSAA 

FoSAA is committed to an environment-friendly culture and avoids the use of printed paper but promote the use of e-communication.