Foreword
Message from the Head of School
I am extremely proud to be at the helm of a dynamic and
diverse School whose mission is to produce creative,
critical and compassionate lifelong learners through
innovative teaching, a dynamic curriculum, and exemplary
teaching. When Arts and Social Sciences became an
independent School of Monash University Malaysia in
2008, the seeds had already been planted that would
lead us to our present success and to the successes
achieved by our graduates.
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Professor Helen E.S.Ne
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Then, as now, the heart of the School is its vibrant
community of dedicated and inspiring staff who,
through their involvement in cutting-edge research,
their engagement with government, industry and
community, as well as their commitment to creative
forms of teaching, create an environment in which
students actively learn how to ask questions,
probe beneath the surface of things, and apply
current research practices and specialised knowledge
to analyse complex real-world problems and offer
innovative solutions. These attributes have allowed
our graduates to embark on exciting careers
worldwide in governments, international organisations,
corporations, non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), think tanks and universities. Many of our
graduates have also launched their own business
ventures and today are successful entrepreneurs.
And it is their achievements and experiences that
reflect the value of an Arts and Social Sciences
education in a fast-changing world.
A second core strength of the School is its collective
social conscience, a commitment to exposing
injustices, to championing emancipation that is the
basis of all we do in SASS. This shared ethos is
reflected in our curriculum, our research activities,
the way we interact with each other and with our
colleagues in other parts of the university, and our
engagements with the outside world. A third core
strength is the School’s very competent, dedicated
and skilled professional staff who have worked
tirelessly, with quiet efficiency, to achieve the School’s
goals and to support our students.
I would like to acknowledge the leadership of previous
Heads. This School has been shaped by each of
them who are, jointly, the architects of the School’s
achievements thus far and those of its students and
graduates. We look forward to the years to come.