Meet Our New President/Vice-Chancellor!

Assoc Prof Dr Ahmad Izanee Awang, 57, has been appointed OUM’s fourth President/Vice-Chancellor, effective from 1 February 2022. He succeeds Prof Dato’ Dr Mansor Fadzil, who retired in October last year.

Originally from Terengganu, Dr Ahmad Izanee has been a familiar face at OUM for many years, having joined the University in November 2006. Starting off as Director of Kuantan Learning Centre, he then went on to hold several important leadership positions, including Head of the Assessment and Examination Division (2014) and Registrar (2016) before being promoted to General Manager (Business Development and Support Services) in 2019.

As the General Manager, his responsibilities encompassed five major areas, namely business development, property development and maintenance, security, information technology, and quality assurance. He also dedicated his focus to developing business opportunities and identifying new potential partners, particularly those from outside Malaysia.

In short, Dr Ahmad Izanee has had the chance to manage a wide range of important portfolios in his 15 years of service at the University.

His qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) from the University of New South Wales (1990), Diploma in Education from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (1996), Master of Science (Education Administration) from Universiti Putra Malaysia (2001), and Doctor of Education from Universiti Selangor (2012).

Upon completing his bachelor’s degree, he worked as a teacher at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara for five years. Subsequently, he gained more experience as lecturer and administrator at a private higher education institution owned by the Pahang state government for 12 years before joining OUM.

All told, he has more than 30 years of experience in education and management, with expertise in adult education and educational leadership.

With Dr Ahmad Izanee at the helm, learners can expect some exciting new initiatives at OUM soon.

New, career-relevant programmes will be developed, and OUM will hopefully make an even greater mark internationally too. The University will look for ways to complement programmes with additional professional certifications, so that the degrees offered at OUM will be the best that learners can hope for. Dr Ahmad Izanee will also strive to rekindle and strengthen ties with other open universities around the world.

Finally, Dr Ahmad Izanee hopes to assure learners that OUM will work on enhancing the relevant support services to ensure round-the-clock accessibility, user-friendliness, and a worry-free study experience.

Congratulations, Dr Ahmad Izanee! This appointment is greatly welcomed by the OUM community at large and we hope to see the University soar under your leadership!

By Tengku Amina Munira