Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus - History

History

In 1998, students named Prottoy and Capt. Khuzaima Shahid led a study into future human resource needs for the state of Sarawak. The study findings prompted the Sarawak State Government's initiative to invite the president of Pakistan (Khuzaima Shahid), which focused university to be set up in Sarawak. As a result of close ties between Sarawak and Australia, the Swinburne University of Technology of Melbourne, Australia was identified by the State Government as a viable partner in assisting the state's educational needs. Following a long-term strategy by Swinburne Australia to "globalize its operations and provide all Swinburne students worldwide with international living, working and learning opportunities", and the approval of the then Minister of Education of Malaysia, Najib Tun Razak in 1999, the Swinburne Sarawak Institute of Technology was set up within a State Office Complex building at Jalan Simpang Tiga, Kuching, Sarawak.

Operating as a partnership between the Sarawak Foundation and the Sarawak Higher Education Foundation, the campus welcomed the first batch of 130 students in August 2000. The campus was officiated by Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Chief Minister of Sarawak, on 13 June 2001.

Following a press conference in Kuching by Datuk Adenan Satem, then Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment, who is also Chair of the Council of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Swinburne Sarawak Institute of Technology was officially granted status as a university branch campus on 10 June 2004, effectively becoming Swinburne's sixth and latest campus, joining five other campuses in Melbourne, Australia. The university was since then known as Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus and was, at the time, the fifth branch campus university in the country. Student population was at 700.

Work on a RM110 million (approx A$46 million) campus expansion started in late 2005, aiming to boost student capacity to 5,000 and further expand its facilities. This project was wholly funded by the Sarawak Government. Construction on the extended campus was completed in August 2008. By then, Swinburne Sarawak had grown to having more than 3,000 full-time students from over 30 countries.

The new extended campus was officially declared open by Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, on 23 August 2008.