|
"What makes a community? What binds it together? For some it is faith. For
others it is the defense of an idea, such as democracy or the fight against
poverty. Some communities are homogeneous, others multicultural. Some are small
as schools and villages; others as large as continents. What binds us into an
international community? In the broadest sense there is a shared vision of a
better world for all people. Together, we are stronger."
–Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General
Traditional definitions of public policy in Malaysia have been
challenged by globalisation, by the transition to a knowledge-based
economy, and by the rise of new technologies. These changes are
catapulting new issues onto our national public policy agenda and
transforming the policy problems that have existed for decades.
The most promising and
effective way to deal with all these issues, I believe, is through
scholarship – not a typical kind of scholarship but a new kind of global
scholarship, specifically designed to meet the challenges and
opportunities of the 21st century.
This is a scholarship
where a thorough and objective assessment of the state of the world is
followed by regional, community, and place-based solutions. It a
scholarship that empowers individuals and communities with the knowledge
for shaping their worlds and becoming more self-reliant, a scholarship
that is universal in scope but local in application, directed toward
preserving precious cultural diversity. It a scholarship where
investigating theory is followed by practical application, a scholarship
relevant to peoples of both developed and developing countries, rural
and urban regions. It is a scholarship focused on the complexly
interwoven, transdisciplinary issues related to improving human welfare
and quality of life.
The combination of the Centre for Policy Research and the Centre for
International Studies to become the new Centre for Policy Research and
International Studies (CenPRIS) is part of the broader undertaking of
Universiti Sains Malaysia to complement, correspond with, and assist in
setting a standard for the United Nations’ “Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development: 2005-2014.” It brings together scholars from
two different arenas – public policy analysis and international studies
– to work jointly towards a deeper grasp of the underlying processes and
cultural and political relationships that drive policy design and policy
delivery, particularly pertaining to global peace and prosperity, and
the nation’s transition to a culture of sustainability.
Professor
Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
Vice Chancellor
|
