| Volume 12, Edition 8: May 2013 | *20 year Anniversary* |
Since the end of Fall semester 2012, UNCG has welcomed eight new scholars to our campus. One of them is Dr. Sharifah Latifah Syed Abdul Kadir, a visiting scholar from the University of Malaya (UM). Dr. Sharifah’s ties with UM are long-standing; she earned her BS in Mathematics there in 1984 and was appointed as a lecturer in UM’s Mathematics department in 1988 after earning her MSA from Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales. While teaching, she began working on her PhD in Applied Statistics. Shortly after graduating, her interests began to gravitate more towards statistics in business, and she joined UM’s School of Business in 2004, specializing in Business Statistics, Research, and Methodology.
Dr. Sharifah is here at UNCG on sabbatical leave. Academic staff at UM are expected to take sabbatical leave from UM every five years to spend time researching or teaching at a different university. Though they may spend their sabbatical at a local institution, staff members are strongly encouraged to conduct their research abroad. Since becoming an associate professor, Dr. Sharifah has taken two sabbaticals to conduct research. Her first was spent at her second alma mater, Cardiff University, and for her second, she chose to come to UNCG. During her four-month visit to our campus, she has been working with Dr. Prashant Palvia, Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professor of Information Systems and Operations Management (ISOM) at the Bryan School of Business and Economics. Together, they have been working on preliminary research to prepare for a more in-depth project on quality management and how well it is adapted in organizations.
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| Dr. Sharifah (right) with Dr. Penelope Pynes (Associate Provost for International Programs) at the Chancellor’s International Farewell Reception | From left to right: Nurliyana Bukhari (PhD Student, School of Education), Dr. Sharifah, Sadiah Graves, and Nor Othman at the 31st Annual I-Fest |
So far, her experience here has been a very positive one. “I really like the spirit here,” she says. “Everyone is very cooperative—it is easy to get help when you need it.”
In addition to conducting her research, Dr. Sharifah was also able to participate in this year’s International Festival on April 13. She helped Nor Othman, IPC’s Program Coordinator and Malaysian native, run and prepare food for the very popular Malaysia booth. “Cooking is one of my hobbies,” she says, “and I was glad to help out.” Some of dishes she helped prepare included stir fried noodles, satay (peanut sauce), paceri nenas (pineapple sauce), and spicy sambal tumis sauce.
Dr. Sharifah will continue to work on our campus until the end of June. She would like to thank UNCG, IPC, Dr. Prashant, and everyone in the ISOM Department and the Bryan School for helping her secure her sabbatical.
Interested in hosting a scholar to UNCG? Please contact Michael Elliott, Director of International Student and Scholar Services at mjellio2@uncg.edu or call 336-334-5404.
UNCG Welcomes International Scholars from the University of Kazan in Russia
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| Clockwise from the left: Alexey Salin, Edward Gilyazetdinov, Elie Azzi (Research Associate, JSNN) , Mikhail Bukharov, Dr. Penelope Pynes, Michael Elliott (Director of International Student and Scholar Services) |
The partnership between UNCG and Kazan Federal University was initially developed in 2004. Chancellor Linda Brady, accompanied by Dr. Penelope Pynes, Associate Provost of International Programs, later visited Kazan University in Spring 2011 to meet with Kazan University officials, a visit that ultimately resulted in UNCG's first Kazan international scholar delegation.
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