Media Centre

Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing added another feather to his cap when he was bestowed a Special Acknowledgement Award at the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia’s Crystal Award 2004 ceremony.

Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing’s nation – building efforts were again acknowledged by the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia.

At the institute’s recent Crystal Award 2004, Lim was bestowed a Special Acknowledgement Award in recognition of his role in last year’s Kuala Lumpur World Peace Conference and the Plight of the Palestinians project.

Limkokwing University College of Creative Technology won the Image Building category award for the Kuala Lumpur World Peace Conference campaign and Voluntary Programmes category award for the Plight of the Palestinians project.

The winning campaigns dealt with global issues and highlighted the need for unity among different races and nationalities to promote a better, more peaceful world.

The Kuala Lumpur World Peace Conference in August 2003 saw Limkokwing students roped in to organise the event that brought together distinguished world leaders such as Deputy President of South Africa Jacob G. Zuma and Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General Adolf Ogi.

The students made their presence count in many ways, notably through an anti-war exhibition they put up in conjunction with the conference.

They were involved in the production of Peacevolution, a New Age album launched at the closing of the conference by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Plight of the Palestinians project was planned with the help of the Palestinian Embassy and educated Malaysians about the Palestinian cause.

The exhibition was Limkokwing’s contribution to the endeavour undertaken by the Malaysians for Peace movement.

Aimed at touching hearts and minds, Limkokwing benefited from the presence of Arabic and Persian students on campus who provided insights which helped in the formulation of the exhibition components.

The victories at the Crystal Award 2004 have further confirmed Limkokwing’s expertise in handling projects that are focused on helping produce Malaysians who are creative, innovative and competitive but also peace-loving and aware of global issues.

Its contributions included projects such as the Commonwealth Games Kuala Lumpur 1998, the Rakan Muda youth development campaign and Inflasi Sifar (zero inflation).

Lim has garnered more than 100 awards since he started making a name for himself in advertising, communications and education.

A recent achievement was being named the inaugural winner of the Adrenaline Lifetime Achievement Award for Commitment to Education Excellence.

And at the Crystal Award 2001, no eyebrows were raised when he was named the Most PR Savvy CEO.

The university college is a regular winner of awards: notable ones in recent times were the Excellence in Private Education Award 2003 from the National Association of Private Education Institutions, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s Export Excellence Award (Services) 2002 in recognition of its effort in the recruitment of international students.

Limkokwing students too are known for their ability to win awards. Multimedia students Tan Kok Huat and Dennis Wong Chee De won the first prize and merit award in the Best of Tertiary -level Student Projects (Creative Multimedia) category respectively at the MSC-Asia Pacific ICT Awards.

Then there was the team of six students led by Yunika from Indonesia who helped the university college make its mark at the Adoi Adrenaline Student Creative Awards.

In a repeat of the previous year’s victory (where 12 Limkokwing students made a clean sweep of the awards with a medal haul of two gold, three silver and four bronze), Yunika and her friends won the Best of the Best Award – the biggest winner of the event.

Lim often describes the Limkokwing campus in Cyberjaya as a driving force where creativity is nurtured and where students are inspired to aim for the highest.

Strong passion

He said that the Limkokwing campus has been carefully designed and co-coordinated to bring out the best in students. “We train our students to break the norm. We imbue them with a strong sense of passion, inspire them with big ideas and motivate them to succeed.

“We are about inculcating leadership and promoting excellence. Our students stand out because of the way they think, the way they carry themselves and the results they produce. They are exuberant and confident people.”

Limkokwing’s success lies in its emphasis on producing all-round students: its model of success is one who is creative, versatile, IT-savvy and industry-ready.

The university college’s “industry within university” concept, made possible by the combination of Limkokwing and Malaysia Design Innovation Centre (that is the professional arm to the university college), allows students to learn to create and manage products and services.

By bringing major brand names on to campus and introducing business units that act as incubators where students interact with industry professionals, Limkokwing exposes its students to the working environment.

The innovation centre is where partnerships with international design centres in Europe promote brand building and innovation. Such links include the Istituo Europeo di Design in Milan and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion.

Students benefit from industrial activities such as the Best of Malaysia Showcase 2004 and the current British Design: Innovation and Application Exhibition on campus.

The former showcases top Malaysian brand names, including winners of the National Creativity & Innovation Award 2004 and 2005, while the latter features 15 British brands that are best known for design and innovation.

Such activities are in line with Limkokwing’s plan to help place Malaysia on the world map of innovation.