I) The Albukhary International University (AIU) located in the city of Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia is fully funded through the Albukhary Foundation, a Malaysian based organization with an international presence started in 1996 by Malaysian corporate entrepreneur and philanthropist Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. AIU is a unique University for a number of reasons:-
- AIU is a charitable University. There are no tuition fees and all students receive full scholarships.
- Although AIU is founded by a Malaysian and is located in Malaysia, up to 80% of its students will be international, with a focus on students from Muslim minority countries. The balance will be Malaysian students irrespective of religious or ethnic backgrounds.
- AIU's requirements for entry are not targeted at academic high achievers. Instead students with reasonable academic standing, but who come from poor, disadvantaged, underprivileged or marginalized backgrounds are the ones who will be offered entry. These are students who are qualified for tertiary education, but are denied places either because of stringent academic requirements, or because they cannot afford the costs involved.
- All students of AIU are required to undertake planned Welfare and Service activities throughout their period of study. The objective is to inculcate in them the passion to Serve and Contribute.
- AIU staff, both academic and administrative will also be international in composition. They will be not only qualified and experienced, but equally if not more important, they must subscribe and practice the Philosophy, Aims and Objectives of the University.
- The curriculum will not be parochial, but will be based on universal principles and practices which will be relevant for the different societies from where the students come from.
II) The planning of the University is based on the Founder's twin Guiding Principles: DEVOTION TO GOD and COMPASSION FOR HUMANITY. Hence the Vision and Mission Statements and the Core Values of the University:-
VISION
To become a model private international university characterized by high quality education and humanitarian values aimed at empowering underprivileged and disadvantaged students
MISSION
To provide academically qualified students from underprivileged and disadvantaged backgrounds not only quality education for them to succeed in life, but also an education which will result is their valuing discipline, being caring and giving individuals.
CORE VALUES
Commitment to Excellence: At AIU, we commit to build a culture of excellence in all we do.
Spirit of Learning: We believe our continued success lies in the opportunity each member has to learn, develop and grow.
Integrity: We will conduct ourselves ethically in all interactions and in every aspect of our work.
Respect and Trust: We encourage building and maintaining effective personal and professional relationships with each other.
Teamwork: We will promote an environment that values individual and cultural differences, and encourage staff at all levels to work together to achieve common goals.
Passion for Service: We commit to serve and contribute to the community and society especially the disadvantaged and under privileged.
Through our Vision, Mission and Core Values, AIU is committed to:-
- High Quality, Relevant Education with a Heart
- The inculcation of Humanitarian Values
- The Empowerment of the Poor and the Underprivileged
III) The programmes of AIU is based on the belief that the best education is one that recognizes and allows for individual differences, and one that engages both the Mind and the Heart. Our Academic programmes and Service activities will be in synergy to achieve this aim.
IV) AIU hopes that through its philosophy and programmes, its graduates will be academically and professionally sound, whilst at the same time become imbibed with Humanitarian Values. In this way, our graduates will not only be gainfully employed and become successful professionals, but that they will also have the passion to serve and contribute to their respective societies. In the long run, although AIU is not a large University, with a maximum of 3,000 students, the quality and the kind of graduates we produce, will be able to make a Difference, to the bottom 20% of society.
What AIU Means By Being An International University
Far too often Universities consider themselves International or that they have Internationalised themselves, when some of the following features are in place:
1. Cross border activities such as movement of students and staff
2. The physical presence in other countries of branch campuses
3. Virtual programmes offered worldwide without learners having to relocate
4. Having large numbers of foreign students
However, far more important is the fact that the university's teaching, learning, research and service functions reflects "the process of integrating international, intercultural
and/or global dimensions into the goals, functions and delivery of higher education."[Knight, J.2005]
This means that this integrating process is a truly representative one, and not skewed or biased towards any particular viewpoint. It implies the development of a "synthesising mind" with the ability to systematically find patterns by putting ideas together and coming out with the bigger picture. This implies also the ability to present an international scenario that takes into account values and nuances, thus making it truly International. In this way AIU will in a small way contribute to bringing about deeper understanding between East and West and between North and South.
AIU hopes that all staff and students will subscribe to this ideal and translate it in all their academic pursuits.