Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sibu In The Blue Ocean - Part 28

Touching further on higher education, Tan Kee Hian took the audience to expound on the mission of "Polytechnic" University.

In Kee Hian's views, "Polytechnic" University in Sibu has the following mission:

To facilitate and accelerate the economic and social development of the Greater Sibu Region by focusing on domains of direct relevance and applicability to the needs of its key stakeholders:
-Businesses and enterprises
-People and society
-Parents and students

Photo: Liong

5 comments:

Ensurai said...

TH
You need to check your MPI forum - people may send unpleasant photos and articles...e.g. latest input...

Tony Hii said...

Thank you,Sarawakiana. It has been deleted.

Ensurai said...

The institutes of technology and polytechnics have been existing at least since the 18th century, but became popular after World War II with the expansion of technical education, associated with the new needs created by industrialization. The world's first institution of technology the Berg-Schola (today University of Miskolc[1]) was founded by the Court Chamber of Vienna in Selmecbánya Hungary in 1735 in order to train specialists of precious metal and copper mining according to the requirements of the industrial revolution in Hungary. The oldest German Institute of Technology is the University of Braunschweig (founded in 1745 as "Collegium Carolinum").

However this early "Technology schools" were not parts of the Higher Education in the beginnings. The so-called BME University of Hungary (Founded as: "Institutum Geometrico-Hydrotechnicum" in 1782) is considered the oldest institution of technology in the world, which has university rank and structure.

In the USA famous examples include Caltech, MIT, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Rochester Institute of Technology. In India, Indian Institutes of Technology are specific elite institutes which were based on a post WWII recommendation for industrialization. Those are highly regarded full chartered universities with a long history.

In several countries, like Germany, Switzerland and Turkey, institutes of technology and polytechnics are institutions of higher education, and have been accredited to award academic degrees and doctorates. Famous examples are the ETH Zurich, İYTE and RWTH Aachen, all considered universities.

In the UK Polytechnics offered university equivalent degrees from Bachelors, Masters and PhD that were validated by the Council for National Academic awards. In 1992 UK Polytechnics were designated as universities.

In a number of countries, although being today generally considered similar institutions of higher learning across many countries, polytechnics and institutes of technology used to have a quite different statute among each other, its teaching competences and organizational history.
source: wikipedia......

Ensurai said...

The Origin of Polytechnic Schools in California
The university's former logo

The history of the university dates back to the origin of the first campus in San Luis Obispo, California. On March 8, 1901, California Governor Henry Gage signed the California Polytechnic School Bill that established an institution which today is known as the California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo).[30] A few years later, on September 30, 1903, the school started teaching high school-level classes to its first class of 20 students. In 1924 full institutional control was shifted to the California State Board of Education. In 1933 the institution’s academical level was changed to that of a two-year technical or vocational college and in 1942 to a Bachelor’s-granting university. After a long period of financial struggles due to World War II, in 1947 the university changed its name to California State Polytechnic College to better reflect the educational level of the institution.[31]
[edit] The Early Stages of the Polytechnic in Los Angeles County: Kellogg, Voorhis, and McPhee
Will Keith Kellogg made generous donations to the California State University which prompted the eventual foundation of Cal Poly Pomona

In 1925 industrialist and food manufacturer Will Keith Kellogg, known for pioneering the process of making baked cereal, purchased 377 acres (1.53 km2) of land in Pomona for $250,000[32] and turned it into a world-renowned horse ranch to start an Arabian horse breeding program, which today remains the oldest in the United States and the fifth largest in the country.[33] Kellogg's ranch eventually became so well-known around the area that even some Hollywood stars took time to frequent it.[34] The first building erected contained the horse stables and it used to be located where the university plaza currently stands. On May 17, 1932 a crowd of more than 20,000 spectators converged on the ranch to witness Kellogg’s donation of his Arabian Horse Ranch, which had grown to 750 acres (3.0 km2), which even included 87 horses, to the California State University system. In return for the generous grant, the University agreed to keep the Arabian horses and to continue the Sunday Horse shows. During World War II, on October 28, 1943 the ranch was taken over by the U.S. War Department and was known as the Pomona Quartermaster Depot (Remount).[35]

In 1928, a retired automotive executive named Charles Voorhis founded a college specializing in educating young, underprivileged male students in San Dimas, California. He was known for having donated over $3 million to various charitable institutions. It operated until 1938 when the Voorhis School for Boys was acquired by the state of California and later became part of the California Polytechnic School in San Luis Obispo, and in 1949, Kellogg's ranch was acquired as well.[36]

In 1933, Julian McPhee assumed the presidency of the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. McPhee was known for his firm fiscal policy and he is often credited for saving the University during the years of the great depression. After those bleak years, McPhee's vision of expanding Cal Poly to Southern California came close to reality.[37]
[edit]

wikipedia

Anonymous said...

Somebody mentioned polytechnic in the last posting, what is happening to United College ? Is there anything happening there at all ? It looks so ghostly quiet. Why don't anyone take over the building, instead of let it sits and wastes away ? At times, SUPP has to work within the context of the larger BN. May be the bosses want to do it. But the big bosses have other ideas. There too many bosses around with too many ideas. In the end, nothing gets done and Sibu gets sleepy as usual. We are already down by 4 steps. Miri, Bintulu, Kuching, Sibu. If Sibu is still sleeping, all her children will not want to come home. May be old retired nurses can serve other old folks and keep a bit of the Sibu's economy going. What a doomsday piece of news !