Anecdotes: My time at
Monash Malaysia
Prof. Helen Nesadurai
First: three colleagues who have made the same long
journey with me, even longer in fact, because they
were at Monash Malaysia even before I joined. So,
having Yeoh Seng Guan, Andrew Ng and Sharon
Bong as my current colleagues provides a sense of
uninterruptedness for me. We were all on the same
floor (fourth, if my memory is correct) in the hostel block
of what was then the joint Sunway-Monash premises
(we had a marvellous living room when we stepped out
of our offices!). And we are still along the same corridor
with offices nearly side-by-side! And these three
remain the same characters twelve years on;
maybe more colourful!
Second, despite all the changes in the School, there is
still that social conscience, a commitment to exposing
injustices, to championing emancipation that is the
basis of all we do in SASS. This shared ethos, and it
comes in more or less direct forms, 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. It is in this sense that there is no jarring
disconnect for me personally as an individual and as
a professional at work. I suspect this feeling is shared
with my colleagues, which also explains why staff
satisfaction in SASS is the highest of all the Schools
at Monash Malaysia, at 95 per cent for job satisfaction
and engagement with the organisation (based on 2017
Staff Engagement Survey).
Third, we are also a School that comes together as one
with everyone pulling their weight with cheerful good
humour. To me, all this is due to the very professional
SASS staff! Cheery, good humoured, even when the
work has piled up, ever willing to go the extra mile,
sharing in everything! Even though there are now
different professional staff from the early years, this
ethos remains. Our professional colleagues are a vital
part of the School … plus they keep us sane!
My time thus far at SASS has been very meaningful …
and fun! If staff provided the collegiality and continuity
as well as their share of unforgettable moments over
the years, students too have added to my stock of
memories. Where do I start? The role play I designed in
2006 for Contemporary Worlds 1 (INT1010), when the
student playing the part of Soviet leader Josef Stalin
◀ With academic and administrative
staff in Melbourne for a visit to
Monash Australia (2007).
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Despite all
the changes
in the School,
there is still
that social
conscience,
a commitment
to exposing
injustices, to
championing
emancipation.
I joined Monash Malaysia in Feb 2006, a good long
twelve years ago, coming home from Singapore where
I had been an academic! It would be a cliché to say
that it feels like yesterday, especially when so much
has happened in those twelve years. For one thing,
there was no independent School of Arts and Social
Sciences. Together with Science, we were the School
of Arts and Sciences. It was only in 2008 that the
School of Arts and Social Sciences was established (as
was the School of Science). But, amidst this and other
momentous changes, there are a few continuities that
stand out for me.