TRANSFORMING THE ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNANCE OF UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU

The knowledge revolution of the late 20th and early 21st centuries has demanded that universities change and transform themselves to be relevant and cope with the changing scenarios. Many issues concerning the higher education sector including funds for research, curriculum relevance, marketability of students and rankings have dominated discussions amongst the various stakeholders. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), being a young public university in Malaysia has had its fair share of challenges. In order to energize and streamline the governance of the university hence making it more competitive and effective, UMT had embarked on a massive restructuring exercise in 2012. Amongst the unique characteristics of the new structure are the establishment of a center for talent development and management for academics; consolidating the management of the departments of undergraduate and postgraduate; transforming faculties into more discipline-based and sector focused schools; and forming a new center for transformation and risk management. Early feedback showed that the new structure is well received, had reduced bureaucracies and resulted in better management of financial and human resources.