Accounting Quest 2010 Competition

After months of preparation and hard work, the quest for the 21st century accountants came to an exciting end on May 8 at Sunway University College, Bandar Sunway, when Sek. Men. Keb. (P) Sri Aman, Selangor, emerged the champion.

Gleeful screams greeted the announcement of their win as Amiera bt Zulkarnain, Fong Weng Yee and Iman Izni binti Ezzat Chan hugged each other on stage celebrating the rewarding conclusion to their long arduous journey.

As champions, the girls were recipients of full scholarships from Sunway University College to pursue a foundation programme continuing into an undergraduate degree in accounting, and the opportunity to be mentored by KPMG, one of the prestigious Big 4 accounting firms, in their final year of studies. Upon graduation, with all conditions fulfilled, they will also be offered a job by KPMG. Each of the champions walked away with RM1000 cash prize and individual trophy, along with RM500 cash prize and a Challenge Trophy for their school.

Launched in April, the inaugural Accounting Quest 2010 is a gruelling competition divided into five stages. It was opened to all secondary school students of Form 4 and 5 in Peninsula Malaysia. 138 schools from 6 regions took part with the top 21 teams (three from each region with the exception of six from Selangor-Kuala Lumpur) making it into the finals.

This competition aimed to unearth well-rounded students who have the qualities to be groomed into a progressive 21st century accountant.

The much anticipated finals started with Stage 3 where each team was drilled on their knowledge of the accounting subject. Enthusiastic supporters in the audience were also spotted trying to solve the problems. Eight teams with the highest scores proceeded to Stage 4.

Stage 4 presented a different challenge to the participants. In line with the idea that the modern accountant not only crunch numbers but also possesses good business acumens and the ability to interact with investors, each team was required to make a 3-minute PowerPoint presentation of their Stage 2 project.

Ranging from beverage manufacturers like F&N to conglomerates like Sime Darby, the teams made in-depth analyses of the performance of their chosen companies and attempted to convince the judges to invest in them. After each presentation, the teams were questioned on their choices and recommendations, along with their personal views on a broad range of subjects including the cause of the 2008 banking crisis, description of what a 21st century accountant should be and what are the implications of governments aiding banks in this crisis.

The panel of judges, made up of Dr. Foo Yin Fah (Head of Sunway University College School of Business), Audrey Danasamy (General Manager - Malaysia of CPA Australia), Lee Yee Keng (Audit Partner with KPMG) and Adrian Lee (Audit Partner with KPMG representing ICAEW), assessed each team based on the content of their projects, eloquence and public speaking skills.

Five teams made it into Stage 5 as the competition was raised another notch in the final speedy buzzer round where teams had to prove their smarts on general knowledge and the ability to listen to instructions. All the teams who made it this far were consistent performers since Stage 1 itself.

In the end, as all the points from every stage were tallied, SMK (P) Sri Aman had a slight edge as they performed very well during the buzzer round.

The Accounting Quest 2010 is organised by Sunway University College in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and CPA Australia, along with the main sponsor, KPMG.

Congratulations to the champions and all the other teams who also did a tremendous job in the Accounting Quest 2010.

The full list of winners:

Champion SMK (P) Sri Aman, Selangor Amiera bt Zulkarnain, Foon Weng Yee, Iman Izni binti Ezzat Chan 1st Runner-Up SMK Damansara Jaya (Team B) Marc Choong Guong Nam, Lim Wen Li, Koh Hui Yin 2nd Runner-Up SMK Damansara Jaya (Team A) Tia Tzyy Yee, Lee Yi Zhen, Kang Chan Keat

Consolation SMK Infant Jesus Convent, Johor Chiew Yilynn, Low Hui Yi, Elyssa Chan Ern-Mei ELC International School, Kuala Lumpur Beechey Julian Charles, Khubchandani Mihir Salim, Sarah Lim Yan Yi Stage 4 Consolation SMK Taman Melawati, Selangor Kaif Hilman bin Muhammad Borhan Tan, Ong Jer Rick, Chua Wang Jheng SMJK (P) Cina, Penang Lon Chin Ling, Ooi Kiesha, Tan Pei Ying SMK (P) Methodist, Penang Andria Ooi Ching Mei, Lim Lean Na, Shirley Leong Yan Yan

 

 

Sunway A-Level Math & Logic Challenge 2010

The Sunway University College yearly A-Level Math & Logic Challenge which started in 2006 aims to increase the level of math proficiency among students in Malaysian secondary schools and to promote math as a challenging and interesting subject. It is open to Form 3, 4 and 5 secondary school students.

This year the competition attracted 96 schools from Peninsula Malaysia to the recent competition at Sunway. Some of the schools came from as far as Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak and Penang. In total there were 192 teams with 384 students and scores were awarded based on individual MCQs in Round 1 and teamwork challenges in Round 2.

The champion team that emerged was Chong Hwa Independent High School made up of Too Sheng Tack and Loo Han Rong. This is the second time the school has become the champion in the competition. The First Runner-Up was Hin Hua High School, Klang and the Second Runner-Up was SMJK Katholik, Petaling Jaya.

The Champions (Left to right), Mr Ong Lim Chuan, math teacher; Loo Han Rong and Too Sheng Tack with Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director, Sunway University College

The prizes for the Top 3 teams included trophies and bursaries valued at RM15,000, RM12,000 and RM8,000 respectively for the Champion, First Runner-Up and Second Runner-Up team members, applicable for the A-Level Pre-U programme at Sunway. The champion school also received a Challenge Trophy and the schools whose teams won the Top 3 prizes were given cash of RM500, RM300 and RM200 respectively. The top 10 highest individual scorers of Round 1 received bursaries for the A-Level programme valued at RM6,000 and the 11th to 50th received bursaries valued at RM5,000.

The champion schools of the past were Foon Yew Independent High School, Johor Baru in 2006, SMJK Katholik, Kuala Lumpur in 2007, Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur in 2008 and SMJK Katholik, Petaling Jaya (for the second time) in 2009.

The questions, which were created just for the competition, were devised by the experienced team of 9 Sunway A–Level math teachers headed by Dr Wong Yoke Chen, Director of the A-Level programme at Sunway.

The University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) sponsored 10 Amazon Book Vouchers valued at £10 each to the Top 10 individual scorers of Round 1. The value in prizes for the competition totaled RM154,000.

Oxbridge Public Speaking Competition 2010 (Preliminary & Semi-Final)

The preliminary and semi-final stages of the Sunway University College Public Speaking Competition, an exciting annual event of English oratory excellence, was held on April 17, 2010, at the Bandar Sunway campus. This competition was opened to secondary school students from Form 4 and 5, and this year, it attracted about 100 participants from 52 schools all over Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh.

In the initial round, students were given the chance to impress the judges with a 4-minute prepared speech on the open-ended topic, What is always on my mind. Following a short break, they then faced the true test of their public speaking mettle, the 3-minute impromptu elocution. Students had to think on their feet, articulating opinions spontaneously on topics drawn randomly from an envelope.

During the preliminary rounds, some students managed to charm the judges with suave eloquence while some with their sheer determination and sincerity. A few multi-talented ones even showed off their singing skills.

After some deliberations by the judges, Margaret Hall, the Organising Chairperson representing the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, announced the 12 semi-finalists who then went on to dazzle the audience with their wits in another round of 3-minute impromptu speeches each on the topic, Family matters. A few of the speakers even had the judges in stitches which is always a good sign.

In order of appearance, the semi-finalists were:

Vishnu Arvindran (SMK Taman Jasmin 2)
Nicholas Lim (SMJK Katholik, Petaling Jaya)
Afeeq Shaswan Bin Zambre (SM Alam Shah, Putrajaya)
Loo Han Rong (Chong Hwa Independent School, Kuala Lumpur)
Daniel Ong Ying Yao (SMK Damansara Jaya)
Prasant Nambiar (SMK LaSalle, Petaling Jaya)
Roshni George (SMK Seafield, Subang Jaya)
Joash Nicholas Ong (SMK Sultan Abdul Samad, Petaling Jaya)
Daniel Rajasingam (SMK Sultan Abdul Samad, Petaling Jaya)
Kailash A/L Kalaiarasu (SMK St. John, Kuala Lumpur)
Goh Chin Ying (SMK (P) Methodist, Klang)
Marissa Law Jun Yi (SMK USJ 4, Subang Jaya)

The judges for the semi-final were Simon Marshall and Darina Yusof representing the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, Jeanette Lim and Leonard Chin for Sunway University College, with Dr. Stephen Hall, head of the Language and Compulsory Subjects Centre of Sunway University College, presiding as Chief Judge.

All 12 semi-finalists were awarded Certificates of Commendation and six were selected to compete in the Final scheduled on June 26, 2010. In no particular order, the finalists are:

Vishnu Arvindran (SMK Taman Jasmin 2)
Nicholas Lim (SMJK Katholik, Petaling Jaya)
Loo Han Rong (Chong Hwa Independent School, Kuala Lumpur)
Daniel Ong Ying Yao (SMK Damansara Jaya)
Nicholas Ong (SMK Sultan Abdul Samad, Petaling Jaya)
Kailash A/L Kalaiarasu (SMK St. John, Kuala Lumpur)

The winner of the Sunway University College Public Speaking Competition 2010 stands a chance to win an Oxbridge and Sunway University College Bursary for full tuition fee waiver (Pre-university programmes/American Degree Transfer Program/diploma programmes), an individual trophy and an individual cash prize worth RM600.00.

The Sunway University College Public Speaking Competition is jointly organised by Sunway University College, and the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia.

An unforgettable and unusual lunch lesson for 8 students

Sunway University College alumnus and well-known entrepreneur George Ang, Group Managing Director of Revenue Valley Sdn Bhd (the company that owns The Manhattan Fish Market, Tony Roma’s and TOKYO.g) hosted 8 lucky Sunway students for lunch. All the 8 students took part in the “Nothing Fishy” competition that was part of a profile on George Ang in Sunway’s quarterly Blaze magazine.

Instead of choosing one winner to have lunch with, Ang chose instead to have lunch with all the 8 students. The 8 were from ACCA, Victoria University twinning degree in Business at Sunway, Business Management (Hons) and Psychology (Hons) degrees validated by Lancaster University. The lunch was held at Tony Roma’s in Sunway Pyramid.

The passionate F&B industrialist whose company has an annual turnover of around RM100 million a year did his AUSMAT (formerly known as TEE) pre-university studies at the then Sunway College in 1990. He then went on to University of Western Australia and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and Accounting. George Ang was a guest Entrepreneur Speaker at Sunway recently.

George Ang (striped shirt) with the students.

At the lunch, Ang shared how he started out working part time as a Pizza Hut delivery boy while studying at the old Sunway College in PJ New Town. This was the start of his eventual phenomenal career rise in F&B. He shared on his insights and philosophy on his business. The lunch was a two-way street of sharing and learning that the students found most beneficial and inspiring.

Here are some comments from the students who attended the lunch.

Students with George Ang outside Tony Roma’s

“I think the lunch was awesome! I was amazed by Mr. Ang’s fondness in sharing his secret recipe for his success. It was certainly a wonderful experience that a student could have” - Chang Mei Yan, B.Sc (Hons) Psychology

“The lunch was inspiring and knowledge enhancing especially when George shared his philosophy and experience on managing his business regionally”- Heri Gunawan from Indonesia, B.Sc (Hons) Business Management   

“George Ang is a great and ambitious entrepreneur. He enlightened us on how to be successful in business and he’s keen in knowing other people’s opinion which makes him a great leader” - Seah Chuying, ACCA

George Ang shared many things, mostly based on his exposure and experience as an international businessman. It is quite rare for students to have this kind of learning opportunity. He has been successful in motivating us students to learn more. The food was superb and the conversation was really a mind blowing experience” - Karin Nathasa from Indonesia, B.Bus Victoria University twinning programme at Sunway 

Read Blaze Magazine and Win Dining Vouchers!

Read “Nothing fishy” about the amazing success story of casual dining mogul George Ang, a Sunway alumnus in the latest Blaze magazine.

George is giving away Manhattan FISH MARKET, Tony Roma’s and TOKYO-g vouchers to those lucky enough to be picked after answering the questions correctly.

Look out for the contest form in the above Blaze magazine (Issue 10).

Copies are available at the Sunway University College campus.

Answer question 3 and if George likes your answer you may have a chance to dine with him.

SMJK Katholik Are The Champs (again) in the Sunway A-Level Math & Logic Challenge 2009

Sunway University College (Sunway) hosted and organised the annual Sunway A-Level Math & Logic Challenge held recently. The competition which started in 2006 is open to all secondary schools in Malaysia. As many as 342 students in 171 teams from 86 schools competed in the Challenge.

SMJK Katholik, Petaling Jaya emerged as the winner overall while SMJK Sam Tet, Ipoh and Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur were First Runner up and Second Runner Up respectively. This is the second victory for SMJK Katholik as they were the champion in 2007. Each school is allowed to send a maximum of two teams with two participants per team. Through this competition, Sunway hopes to increase the level of math competency among students in Malaysian secondary schools and to instil a fun and creative way of learning math.

The competition questions were devised by Sunway A–Level math teachers headed by Dr Wong Yoke Chen, Director of the A-Level programme at Sunway. There were attractive prizes by Sunway for winning participants including trophies, certificates, cash prizes and tuition fee waivers in the Sunway A-Level programme. There were also book prizes sponsored by the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). The first round was the Individual event of multiple choice questions and the second round was the more challenging group event of a question and answer session. The champion school in 2008 was Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur and in 2006, was Foon Yew Independent High school in Johor Baru.

The competition is open to Form 3, 4 and 5 students and participants were mainly double math students from Form 4 and Form 5. The youngest participant this year was in Form 3, who was Tham Ying Hong, a member of the champion team of SMJK Katholik. The other member of the team was Fiona Tay Ting Nuan.

A Day Immersed in the English Language

The sixth annual English Language Event held recently was a feast for lovers of the English language. The highlights were a Public Speaking Competition Finals and the Essay Writing Competition. It was open to secondary school students, jointly organised by Sunway University College and The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia and held at Sunway University College.

The Public Speaking Competition attracted 173 Form 4 and Form 5 secondary students early this year. In April, they attended a Public Speaking training session “Be an Effective Speaker” by Mrs Jagjit Singh. 6 finalists were selected from a preliminary round. During the finals, three judges, from the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, Datin Shalini Ganendra, President; Ms Elizabeth Lee, Vice-President (and Executive Director of Sunway University College) and Dr Scotti Albrecht viewed the 6 finalists who each gave an impressive and sometimes amusing four minute presentation on “Tomorrow”.

Mahendra A/L Karythan from SMK Seksyen 9, Shah Alam emerged the champion. The first runner up was Avinaash Sunbramanian from SMK Damansara Jaya. Both Candice Lee from SMK Taman Sri Muda, Shah Alam and Jasmine Jasnani from SMK Seafield, tied in second runner up place.

75 students from 25 schools took part in the Essay Writing competition. Students had one hour to attempt one essay question out of five questions. All scripts were marked by Sunway University College lecturers from the English Language Department, University Compulsory Unit and A-Level programme who ascertained the best six essays. The eight judges from the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia selected the champion, first runner-up, second runner-up and three consolations from these top essays.

The essay writing champion was Grace Kiew Sze Ern from SMK (P) Sri Aman who answered question no. 4, “What do you think are the greatest challenges that will be faced by your generation?” The first runner up was Anton Wong Shaun Ming from SMK Seafield and the second runner-up was Shahnon Lau Chen-Yuen from SMK Subang Utama. The Chief Judge was Mrs Margaret Hall said “The standard of the essays was exceedingly high but we found that the content, language and flow of thought of the champion’s essay stood out from the others”.

About 1000 students of Forms 3, 4 and 5 from 26 top schools around the Klang Valley, Seremban and Ipoh attended the event. Alumni’s from the two prestigious universities spoke to students. Mr. Chacko Vadaketh and Mr. Andrew Caie spoke on Effective Oral Communication Skills (separately). Mr. Syed Tariq and Mr. Mark Disney each gave their version of Effective Writing Skills and Mr. Walter Jones delivered Application Procedures and Entry Requirements into Oxford & Cambridge University.

The questions for the Essay Writing Competition were set by Mr. Stephen Hall, Director of the Language and Compulsory Subjects and Mrs Ruma Lopes, Director of the Australian Matriculation, a pre-University programme at Sunway University College.

Prizes for the Champions of the two competitions received RM300 cash, a trophy for the school and an individual trophy each. The First and Second Runners-Up received RM 200 and RM100 respectively as well as individual trophies. All the prize and consolation winners received Certificates of Commendation from the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia.

Students Turn Property Magnates for a Day

Aspiring entrepreneurial students from Sunway University College (Sunway) had a brief taste of what it was like to be high-rolling property magnates during the second Sunway Apprentice Challenge recently. The Challenge, organised by Sunway and sponsored by Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad (Alliance Bank), pits pre-university students, Team EDGE, against undergraduate students, Team FUXION, in a larger-than-life trading board game of Saidina, Malaysia’s version of Monopoly.

“We believe that good talent should be allowed to creatively explore and experience various scenarios via simulations of real-life environment with all its challenges and obstacles. The Sunway Apprenticeship Challenge also enables us to impart the Bank’s values of creativity, conviction, resilience, integrity and caring during each exercise to the participants,” said Datuk Bridget Lai, Group Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad and Director of Alliance Financial Group Berhad.

Ms Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College added “The Saidina challenge presents a variety of learning points as we wanted to reach our students and deliver important corporate life lessons in a fun and challenging way. Partnering Alliance Bank, a strong proponent of entrepreneurship, is indeed a strategic move that will help us achieve this objective”.

The Sunway Apprentice Challenge aims to expose students to the world of entrepreneurship and leadership by introducing a series of real-life work experiences in a performance-rewards environment. The exercise was inspired by Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” reality show that helps to identify students who have an outstanding calibre in business.

The game featured a 20 feet by 20 feet life-size board complete with houses, hotels, dice and decision cards. The team members bought land whenever they could and bid against each other in auction creating sparks of excitement during the game. The key learning outcomes for the participants were of strategy planning, financial decision-making, risk and returns, market analysis. Most importantly, participants had to learn to work as a team to overcome the obstacles.

Each team of five had a consultant who observed the game and decides to offer ‘consultant advice’. All players had a strategy plan before the game and were not allowed to discuss their moves during the game. Team FUXION, who amassed the highest “wealth” among the two teams was declared the winner.

Rebecca Ng (19), a second year ACCA student and Team FUXION’s leader, said “The second Challenge was certainly interesting as it tested us on our strategy skills, and allowed us to understand and bond with our teammates. However, I believe that the element of luck was on our side and gave us a winning edge. We are definitely happy that we won this round!”

Team FUXION also won the first challenge during the first Sunway Apprentice Challenge held in March this year, where teams prepared and presented a marketing strategy proposal for Sunway University College’s Student Services Department. The winners were rewarded with dinner with Joel Neoh, the young entrepreneur who won the NTV7’s “The Firm”, Malaysia’s first corporate reality television programme.

In the next and final challenge hosted by Alliance Bank, participants will be presented with actual business case studies. They will have to race against the clock and demonstrate skills of time management, strategic leadership and problem-solving. There will be a new twist added to the Challenge.

Winners of this second Sunway Apprentice Challenge won a total of RM1,700 worth of prizes including a Saidina Travel set, Italiannies Restaurant dining voucher, Nike and MPH Bookstore vouchers for each person.

Contest! Test Your Designing Skills!

Got a hand in arts? If you do, waste not a drop of your talents and try your hand out in the latest logo designing contest for Sunway Pharma (something new under the Sunway flagship) ;-D Details are as below:

Sunway Pharma
"Design Our Logo"
Contest

About Us
Sunway Pharma is a chain of retail pharmacies opening soon.
A concept store like no other, we focus on nurturing and healing the body from within as well as from the outside.

Tagline
Prescription & Therapy

Products
Medicine, supplements and organic spa products


Contest Requirements
1) Logo must integrate elements of the Sunway logo

2) Logo must contain the word “Sunway Pharma”

2) Participants must submit the logo in Illustrator and JPEG format.

3) Besides the logo, participants must also include two variations of the logo with the tagline “Prescription & Therapy”

Eligibility
Open to Sunway University College students only

PRIZE
Winner – RM500 cash*
3x Consolation Prizes – RM100

Deadline
31 June 08

Submission
Email your submission to choyel@sunway.com.my

*In the event that no submission is found suitable to be adopted as the official logo, Sunway Pharma is not obliged to award the Winner’s prize

AMAZING RACE emerges as AMAZING G-RACE

Bandar Sunway, Kuala Lumpur - They’re young. They’re a little bit crazy. And they were all over Bandar Sunway last weekend!

The Sunway University College Student Council organised and hosted the Amazing G-Race modeled after the Amazing Race on Saturday, 29 March 2008. The Amazing G-Race is an obstacle race cum scavenger hunt which is held annually since 2006. It’s supported by 3 main Sunway councils; Sports Council, Association of International Students and ECHO, Sunway University College’s student yearbook. Students combed areas such as the Elephant Walk, South Quay, new wing of Sunway Pyramid Shopping Centre, Sunway Metro and Monash University.

The guests of honour were none other than our Malaysian Chong sisters, Vanessa and Pamela, who were the Malaysian team that bagged the 1st runner up title of the Amazing Race Asia 2. They were present to flag off the race and to give the participants encouragement while sharing their journey and experience in the Amazing Race Asia that might be of help to the teams and participants of the Amazing G-Race. They even brought along Team Japan’s of Amazing Race Asia 2, Ms. Sawaka along with them to cheer and encourage the students!

"It is my belief that you never feel more fully alive than when overcoming obstacles, when ordinary people do extraordinary things; not by climbing Mount Everest mind you, but by being challenged by different languages,
transportation stuff ups, cultural barriers and the ever-present fever of competition” said Ms. Pamela Chong.

 

The teams participated in fun and exciting scavenges and activities such as removing marbles from a tin filled with earthworms, maggots and grubs as well as eating wasabi crackers! A total of 24 teams participated in the race and the entire race was performed on foot.

 

“We've created a truly authentic adventure competition that restores the thrill of travel, curiosity and adventure appeal, that turn of the century travellers had," said Student Council President, Chan Yung Mun (Jet)

.

Team “Something” consisting of Phang Kein Yew, Ho Choong Kwong, Harjun from Sunway’s A Levels and E-Yan from Sunway’s Monash University Foundation Year emerged as the champions winning RM250 cash prize, UOX Starter Packs and a hamper. Total value in prizes (cash and kind) amounted to RM2,200. Celcom, Sunway University College’s official Telco partner was the main sponsor of the Race.

Lessons in the Art of a Good Argument

Developing rational thoughts and constructing arguments to better our lives may be one of the most refined facets of human interaction. Two teams did just that as they went head to head recently at Sunway University College in the celebrated Oxford vs. Cambridge Debate 2007. Organized by the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, it featured current Oxford and Cambridge students and members of the English Speaking Union (ESU) Malaysia World Student Debate Team 2007.

The motions this year were “This House Believes that the Medium of Instruction in Schools Should be English” and “The House Believes that Security Measures are Justified at the Expense of Civil Liberties”. The latter motion was chosen by a coin toss, less than an hour before the debate commenced. The Cambridge team was the Government and the Oxford team the Proposition.

The Debate was an impromptu one so that bright speakers will have to think on their feet. The motion generated the right level of heat, lightness and controversy as the speakers put their ultimate test brandishing word against word with wit and intellect. The compelling topic brought forth the winning team with the most mettle, from Cambridge, who supported the motion.

The afternoon, as promised, was a deft and healthy exchange of ideas which would attest to the words of George Bernard Shaw “The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it”

Participation from the floor, also regarded as the members of the “house” was encouraged. They were also allowed to interrupt on points of information.

A former A-Level student from Sunway University College, Qu Hsueh Ming who is pursuing Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University represented the Oxford team. The Chief Judge for the event was Mrs. Margaret Kaloo. Principal of ELC International School and Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College and past President of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, was the Mistress of Ceremonies.

The Debate was sponsored by Sunway University College, Deloitte Malaysia and the ESU with the cooperation of JobStreet.com.

About the Oxbridge Society of Malaysia

The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia was registered on 11 January 1960, at the initiative of the late Tun Sir Henry H.S Lee. The Society was founded to promote and facilitate social, recreational and cultural activities between past and present members of the Universities, to further causes and projects in the interests of the members, and to hold an annual Boat Race Dinner on the eve of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

True to the objects of the Society, the Society has organized annual Boat Race Dinners, debates, dinner and luncheon talks and numerous other events. The Society has played host to many distinguished guests and dignitaries, including our Prime Minister and the Vice-Chancellors of the Universities.

Soup Kitchen Fairies Feed Almost One Hundred Homeless

Thirty-five ‘fairies’ from Sekolah Sri Bestari cooked nasi lemak for almost 100 homeless people at the Community Services Centre recently. They were led by schoolmates, Lim Seng Rong, Stephanie Yeow and Goh Yuen Zhuang, who initiated this project as part of the Youth Leadership Programme organised by Sunway University College (Sunway).

The self-named ‘Soup Kitchen Fairies’ started out collecting dry food items from their schoolmates. However, response was poor due to the inconvenience of bringing the bulky food packages. Young as they were, Seng Rong, Stephanie and Yuen Zhuang were undeterred. Time was against them, but they devised a new solution to conduct a monetary donation drive instead.

“Contingency plans are very important because problems can easily be encountered,” they reported to the organisers, wise beyond their years.

To rally support for their project, Seng Rong, Stephanie and Yuen Zhuang gave speeches during morning assemblies about their campaign. After three weeks and with RM2335 in their hands, the ‘fairies’ bought various fresh ingredients to cook a complete meal. They felt that it was a blessing in disguise, as they were providing a more wholesome meal now instead of the initial plan of canned and dry-packed food which was less nutritious. Surpluses were used to procure gifts and toiletries to be donated to the Centre.

For their efforts, Seng Rong, Stephanie and Yuen Zhuang received scholarships worth RM8,000 each to any pre-university, diploma or American Degree Transfer Programmes at Sunway University College, RM1,500 in prize money and a trophy for the school as first place winners in the challenge. They intend to use the prize money to upgrade their school facilities.

When asked what they would have done differently in retrospect, Seng Rong replied, “We would have widened our scope to include students from the lower forms. It is a good experience for them in helping the needy and they can continue our project for the coming years after we have left the school.”

The Youth Leadership Programme organised by Sunway is a competitive award programme that aims to nurture and develop future leaders of our nation. The Form 4 and 5 school students, in teams of three, had to submit proposals on a chosen community project. Sunway University College, a Trust Fund institution, has always placed Corporate Social Responsibility high on its priority. Accordingly, the Youth Leadership Programme which spanned from February to June this year specified that all proposals have to focus on making meaningful contributions to the society.

The participants had to attend leadership and project management workshops at Sunway and a special community exposure session where the organisers brought them to visit residents of Petros Residential, Rumah Kepercayaan, and Double Blessings Disabled Independent Living Association. Finally, the teams channeled their newfound knowledge into the execution of their proposals on specific dates with seed money of RM250 provided by Sunway.

The implementation stage was judged by the participants’ organisational and decision-making skills, teamwork, communication within and outside the team, creativity in problem solving, conflict management, and public relations skills. The judges moderated their viewpoints with 360 degree feedback from the teams’ peers, principals, counsellors, teachers, parents and external people whom they interacted with when running the project.

“I am surprised to see that some of them can do so much, even surpassing what an ordinary adult would be committed to do,” commented Dr Liew Yoke Ying, Chief Judge and Head of American Degree Transfer Programme at Sunway “They are prospective leaders and they discovered their own potential while executing the project. Many of them want to come back next year as coaches to their juniors and some schools are committed to go for the champion position in the next competition.”

97 proposals were received from 32 schools and 24 teams were short listed to execute their projects. Besides the Soup Kitchen Fairies Campaign, other notable first and second runners-up winning projects were in the aid of the flood victims of Kampung Maju Jaya in Johor Baru and the Indian community helping Pure Life in Skudai, respectively.

Essay Contest Yields a Literary “Star” in Quest to Raise Standard of English

Sunway University College collaborated once again with the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia to host the much anticipated annual Oxbridge Essay Writing competition recently, a highlight of the 2007 Oxbridge English Language Event.

A total of 960 students from 24 schools around the peninsular from the Klang Valley, Seremban, Melaka and Ipoh took part in the challenge.

Ms Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College and the Sunway Group of Colleges, Cambridge graduate and President of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia said “the event is a yearly commitment in a quest to encourage, promote and enhance the use of the English Language within the future leaders of Malaysia.”

The Oxbridge judges were clearly impressed by the standard of the competition. The panel was made up of Tan Sri Lal Chand Vohrah, Dr Lee Soo Ann, Ms Scoti Albrecht, Mr Justin Leong, Mr Teh Chi Chang, Ms Chook Yuh Yng, Ms Faridah Qamaruz Zaman, Mr Andrew J. Barber and Ms Emma Davidson from the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia, while from Sunway University College were Mrs Ruma Lopes, Mr Timothy Wong, Ms Evelyn Boey, Ms Sarojini Davies, Ms Jennifer Rathabai and Mr Leonard Chin.

This year, the cash prize was doubled to RM600 from RM300 in the previous year. The first prize winner was Nishyodhan Balasundram, a fifth former from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaann Subang Utama, with a compelling essay written on Malaysia’s teaching profession. He also received a trophy for himself and for his school and a certificate of commendation from the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia.
Participants in the competition were given an hour to compose an essay of a thousand words on a topic selected from a list of five questions on current issues.

The essay question selected asked about the ways to regain the teaching profession as it was losing its glamour since Malaysia gained its independence.

In his concluding paragraph, he urges the Ministry of Education and various educating bodies to “work together urgently to arrest the decline of the teaching profession to bring it up to the levels that it once commanded in the days before the independence. Malaysia cannot claim to be a developed nation in 2020 if its teachers are not up to par with these in more developed nations.”

When asked what his approach in writing the winning essay was, “I didn’t even do a mind map first. I just wrote whatever that came into my mind. Basically, I wrote what I felt,” he replied simply.
The young Nishyodhan has no plans to be an aspiring writer as yet, as his interests’ lies in debating competitions, which he often participates in.

Other activities at the Oxbridge English Language Event included workshops conducted by a panel of distinguished speakers who are graduates and members of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia.

Sunway Alumni Couple Are Adept Treasure Hunters

It was a day they left all cares and worries behind and armed with mind boggling clues drove into the unknown. Yes it was the Treasure Hunt commemorating the 20th anniversary of Sunway University College. 120 enthusiastic staff, spouses, former and present students in 32 cars combed the enclaves of Sunway, Kota Damansara and Section 14, Petaling Jaya.

The four-hour hunt took participants on a chase to find answers to cryptic clues. The answers were related to food, musical instruments or restaurants and geared the participants up, cracking their heads and discussing the clues with each other. The good humoured competitors took it in their stride, some resorting to quick checks with friends and relatives but always keeping their cool as they got their clues worked out.

One of the participants, Mahesh Biaspal, who is a lecturer for the Monash University Foundation Year programme at Sunway shared “It was the first time for me and it was really exciting. Just from being in the exercise, I realized that there are many ways of looking at something and many eyes look at things differently which all added a dimension of fun to the hunt”.

The first place winners were Sunway alumni, Cheok Why Leong and Elaine Cheong, a husband and wife team who met while studying the American Degree Transfer Programme at Sunway in 1995. Cheok did electrical engineering and Cheong read telecommunications management. They both live in Penang.

Cheong said “It was an honour for us to win the first Treasure Hunt organised by Sunway University College. It brought back memories and it was really fun to see some of our old friends. I hope to keep in touch with the University College through the alumni and look forward to joining future alumni activities”.

Cheok added “It was a well-organised event and we had a fabulous time. We will definitely come back if there is another hunt coming up”. The duo bagged RM3,000 in prize money for their first effort at participating as a couple.

The hunt ended with a sumptuous buffet at Sunway University College which allowed the hunters to gather, relax and enjoy a time of bonding. Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College and the Sunway Education Group said “The hunt was an excellent ice breaker and more so for our ALUMNI members to reminisce and renew old friendships with each other. Former Sunwayians are most welcome to join the ALUMNI and enjoy great opportunities for networking”.

For more information please visit www.sunway.edu.my under ALUMNI or you may email your details to associates@sunway.edu.my. Alternatively please call 74918622 extn: 8021 (Adelene Goh) or extn: 8021 (Elisa Dass) or Extn: 8069 (Vincent Hah).

SMJK Katholik Are the Champs at Sunway University College Math Quiz Competition

Ten teams from schools around Peninsular Malaysia vied for The 2nd Sunway University College Inter-School Math Quiz Challenge 2007 Finals held at Sunway University College recently. The competition, in its second year, is known for new and innovative questions prepared by a team of 11 Sunway mathematics lecturers.

The winning school was SMJK Katholik from Petaling Jaya comprising Form 5 students Cheong Tee Jin, Bryan Chong Hau Foo, and Tan Jing Lynn. The First Runner Up was Foon Yew High School in Johor Bahru and the Second Runner Up was Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur.

Ms Jeyacowrie, the teacher adviser of the champion team said “We are very proud of the students’ achievement and happy for them as they have worked hard and have a natural interest in the subject”. All of the students have taken part in math competitions before. Cheong Tee Jin represented Malaysia in the International Math Olympiad in Slovenia last year.

A record of 658 teams from 198 schools in six zones across Peninsular Malaysia participated in the Preliminary Test. Almost half of the total number of teams, were from the Klang Valley.

Sunway University College organised the competition as an answer to the call of the Government to improve the standards of math in Malaysian schools. The overwhelming response indicates the prevalence of a high level of interest in Mathematics in our schools.

“The competition is not only an opportunity to find mathematically talented students but is also a test of their determination” said Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College.

“We hope that through the competition, students will find math enjoyable as great satisfaction can be found by those who derive the answer to a complicated problem. For those who excel in math, they may go on to become future math whizzes, making advances to the world we live in” she added.

Corporate partners for the competition included Deloitte KassimChan, Pilot and Canon with Nanyang Siang Pau as a media partner. Prizes totaling RM25,000 were jointly sponsored by the corporate partners and Sunway University College. Among the prizes are bursaries for programmes at Sunway University College for the champion school, cash prizes and a Canon digital camera for each member of the champion team and Canon printers, Canon scientific calculators and Pilot ball pens for other winners.

The winning school was SMJK Katholik from Petaling Jaya comprising Form 5 students Cheong Tee Jin, Bryan Chong Hau Foo, and Tan Jing Lynn. The First Runner Up was Foon Yew High School in Johor Bahru and the Second Runner Up was Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur.

The other finalists were SMK St Francis, Malacca; Sekolah Tinggi Muar, Johor; SMJK Keat Hwa, Alor Star, Kedah; Sayfol International School, Kuala Lumpur; SMJK Jit Sin, Bukit Mertajam, Penang; Sekolah Sri Cempaka, Damansara, Kuala Lumpur and Penang Free School, Penang.

Call for Youths to Vie for the Youth Leadership Competition Awards

Sunway University College launched its inaugural Youth Leadership Awards Competition yesterday, which seeks to enhance and develop responsible and effective leadership among the youth of today. The objectives are to nurture and develop students who may be the future leaders of the nation through creating excellent communication skills sharpening their lateral thinking abilities and to build leadership qualities.

Challengers are in teams of three students and must be from the same club, society or uniformed body of the same school. A three-stage mode begins with a written project proposal, workshops in the development of the students and finally the project-in-action with seed money provided. A support workshop has been planned to assists students in the written project proposal. The projects proposed must relate to the school or to the community of the participants.

This competitive is open to students of Form Four and Form Five of the public schools, Senior Middle I and II of Chinese Independent High Schools, and Year 10 and Year 11 of the International Schools in Peninsular Malaysia. The competition will run in three stages from February till end-June 2007. Applicants are expected to have a minimum academic standard of C6 in all subjects in their last year’s examination results to be eligible.

Executive Director of Sunway University College, Elizabeth Lee said, “Following the benchmark of other globally recognised awards such as the Raleigh or Rotary Youth Leadership Award, the Sunway University College Youth Leadership Award hopes to find self-driven individuals who display exceptional leadership qualities in the management and execution of a project with due consideration towards the human and community aspects in the entire process.

All winning, second and third place team members will each receive scholarships of varying values (RM8,000, RM4,000 and RM2,000 each) to a programme of their choice at Sunway University College and prize money. The competitive award programme is organised in collaboration with HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, GTI Publishers (M) Sdn Bhd and Deloitte KassimChan.

The closing date for applications is 31st January 2007.

For more information on the competition, please email syucyla@sunway.edu.my or contact Eugene Chia 03-74918622 c/o the Information Centre at Sunway University College.

The Search for a Math Whiz of Secondary Schools Begins

Sunway University College once again launched its second inter-school math quiz challenge for secondary school students yesterday. Pioneered and developed by a group of 11 math academicians at Sunway University College, the competition which is conducted in English, promises to delight participants and the audience alike in the wonders of mathematics.

The main objective of the competition is to make the learning of mathematics fun and seed a long-term interest in the subject among students. The end result that is hoped for is that students may grow to appreciate and apply mathematics in their everyday lives and not just in the classroom.

The other objectives are to improve a student’s analytical and problem solving skills and to create a healthy sense of competitiveness among students.

The competition is open to students from Form 3 to Form 5 of national and private schools including vernacular schools, Junior Middle 3 to Senior Middle 2 of Chinese Independent High Schools and Year 9 to Year 11 students of International Schools.

Students are expected to know the history, general knowledge and applications of math and the SPM or equivalent Additional Mathematics syllabus.

Each school may field up to five teams comprising 3 members per team. There will be two stages of competition. Schools will compete in the preliminary round on 6 February conducted concurrently at 6 Test Centres across Peninsular Malaysia. The best ten teams from this round will proceed to the finals which will be held on 24 March 2007.

Corporate partners for the competition include Deloitte KassimChan, Pilot and Canon with Nanyang Siang Pau as a media partner. Prizes totaling RM25,000 are jointly sponsored by corporate partners. Among the attractive prizes are bursaries at Sunway University College for the champion school, cash prizes and a Canon digital camera for each member of the champion team and Canon printers, Canon scientific calculators and Pilot ball pens for other winners. The closing date for applications is 29 January 2007.

For enquiries on the competition, please contact Magdalene Lian of the Marketing Department, Sunway University College at 03-74918623 Extn: 8056

Sifting Through Our Schools for an Outstanding Literary Talent

Sunway University College (SyUC) in collaboration with the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia once again hosted the annual Oxbridge Essay Writing competition held recently. Fifty-seven (57) 4th and 5th form students from 22 schools around the peninsular from the Klang Valley, Seremban, Melaka and Ipoh took part in the competition.

Ms Elizabeth Lee, Executive Director of Sunway University College, Cambridge graduate and President of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia said “We are proud and honoured to work hand-in-hand with the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia in a quest to raise the standard on the usage and mastery of the English language in Malaysia”

Competitors were given an hour to compose an essay of a thousand words on a topic selected from a list of 5 questions on current issues. The winner was Varsha a/p Sivalingam from SMK Puteri, Seremban. Her essay responded to the question “In our determination to be ahead of the others we have abandoned humanity, ethics and decency. How far do you think this is evident in our society”

The Oxbridge judges were clearly impressed by the standard of the competition. The panel was made up of Dr Chua Hui Yen, Mr John Nicholson, Ms Sharon Saw and Ms Sue Wong from the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia.

The winning school bagged RM300, a trophy each for both the individual winner and the school and a certificate of commendation from the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia for the winner.

The competition was also made into an Oxbridge English Language Event that included workshops conducted by a panel of distinguished speakers who are graduates and members of the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Malaysia. The workshops were: - “Effective Writing Skills” by Mr. Mark Disney and Dato’ Dr M. Shanmughalingan and “Effective Oral Communication Skills” by Mr. Walter Jones and Prof Dr Noraini Tamin.

“Time and again it has been said that the strength and advancement of a nation depends on its people. Indeed this is why; we are pleased to be part of this public service endeavour at Sunway” added Elizabeth Lee.