UCSI University Vice-Chancellor dies

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 -- UCSI University President and Vice-Chancellor Senior Professor Datuk Dr Khalid Yusoff, 66, died at noon Monday at the Universiti Putra Malaysia Teaching Hospital.

UCSI Group founder and chief executive officer Datuk Peter Ng, in a statement today, said that the university offers its condolences on the great loss in the Malaysian academic field and said that Dr Khalid was not someone who rested on his laurels.

“He (Dr Khalid) left a great impact on UCSI students. He arranged the collaboration with Harvard University himself to empower our medical students with various opportunities to be part of high impact research programmes at the best university in the world,” he said.

Dr Khalid played an important role in increasing UCSI University’s ranking and since heading the university in 2013, UCSI had received various academic recognitions in addition to forging a strategic partnership with world-renowned universities, including Harvard University.

Under his leadership, UCSI also emerged as the best private university in Malaysia for two consecutive years in the 2019 and 2020 QS World University Rankings.

In addition, the university achieved a five-star rating as a Matured University in the 2018/2019 Setara ranking, a rating instrument that assesses Malaysia's higher learning institutions in teaching, research and services.

Dr Khalid was trained as a cardiologist and began his medical career as a student at the University of Melbourne, Australia before undergoing training at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.

-- BERNAMA