By Aini Nabilah Sharipuddin
GOMBAK, 9 July 2020: The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) has been crowned as the winner of the International Green Gown Awards 2020, thereby raising its position as a sustainability institution of the year.
The announcement was made at the IIUM Takrim Month 2020 celebration which was successfully conducted at the IIUM Cultural Centre (IIC) today despite the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Green Gown Awards is supported by UN Environment in partnership with The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), L’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), International Association of Universities (IAU) and Higher Education Sustainability Initiative.
IIUM has renewed and transformed the institution from being a general university into a humanistic university. The university’s humanistic role is not only focusing on producing students who are academic oriented but to create a balance through education, social engagement and so on.
Thus, the strategies and initiatives to make IIUM a humanistic university have been clearly portrayed to judges of the Awards that became the main score for them to choose IIUM as the winner.
In his opening speech at the the event, IIUM Rector, Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said that the sincerity of the university committees and the community in joining the award is the key to this winning. “Sincerity in doing something leads and creates barakah and miracle from Allah,” he said.
The Rector advised members of the IIUM community not to be obsessed and fascinated with the award to the point of stop moving forward from making further effort to gain achievement in future. “Therefore, the individual needs to always keep doing and generating something new and innovative without expecting any award for their hard work.”
He further stated that œopening up your mind to move forward is needed. Thus, members of the IIUM community need to keep trying to give their best for this 36-year old university.
Meanwhile, IIUM’s Constitutional Head, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah and the university’s President, Datuk Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar delivered their congratulatory messages virtually through the video.***