Malaysian Sustainable University Campus Network (MYSUN)

MALAYSIA SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS NETWORK (MYSUN)

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PAHANG

ABOUT MYSUN

Consistent with global aspirations regarding sustainability, the Malaysian government has understood the importance of keeping sustainable development goals in mind, in particular the need to promote good energy and environmental practices. One of the keys to achieving this is through education, and by instilling these values in all levels of the educational system. For this reason the Ministry of Education of Malaysia has led a global education effort to strengthen attitudes, values and actions which are compatible with sustainable development. Notwithstanding this, there is a clear lack of coordination and awareness in HEI campuses regarding sustainability and energy efficiency. It is therefore pressing to support the development of sustainability in HEI campuses in Malaysia, and even more so to do it through a national platform, in order to ensure that more concerted activities will have a better impact at both local and national levels.

OBJECTIVES OF MYSUN

Following a real need identified to support the Malaysian higher education system in increasing the knowledge and skills of their staff, having access to good practices developed in other institutions, and in strengthening their ability to cooperate in this issue both locally and on a national level, the Erasmus+ CBHE project “Malaysia Sustainable University Campus Network, or MYSUN, has an overall aim of promoting Malaysian university campuses as “living laboratories” for sustainability and energy efficiency.

Specifically, MYSUN aims:

• To strengthen the human capacities in university campuses’ sustainability and energy efficiency in Malaysia;
• To develop a platform to promote and support a culture of sustainable HEI campuses in the Malaysian higher education system through the establishment of the MYSUN Network and the delivery of a pilot MOOC on sustainability in HEI campuses.

PARTNERS

1. MALAYSIAN PARTNERS:

2. EUROPEAN PARTNER:

ACTIVITIES

Over a project lifetime of 36 months, MYSUN will develop and implement a series of activities geared towards 4 solid pillars which will serve as a foundation for sustainable results as summarised below:

Pillar 1. ANALYSIS & TRAINING - the project will study the situation of sustainability in Malaysian HEIs to identify potential strengths and weaknesses in order to identify training needs, good practices to be shared, and prepare recommendations to be presented at a national level. This will support the development of relevant and quality training that partners will then replicate within their institutions and in national workshops, as well as in a pilot Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

• Activity 1.1 - In-depth analysis of current sustainability practices in at least 40 Malaysian HEI campuses, in order to define training & institutional needs and identify good practices to share, published and disseminated in two electronic reports in English and Malay.
• Activity 1.2 - Building of partner HEI staff capacities on campus sustainability & energy efficiency through the delivery of 3 training of trainers workshops and their corresponding internal replication seminars at each partner HEI.

Pillar 2. INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING – the project will stimulate the development of a sustainable campus culture in HEIs through the creation or strengthening of Sustainability Offices which will, among their activities, organise sustainability campaigns and prepare or update campus sustainability plans to be approved by their higher management.

• Activity 2.1 – Strengthen the offices, organize sustainability campaigns and review sustainability plan.
• Activity 2.2 – Increase the knowledge and awareness of HEI staff & students and interested external stakeholders on the issues of campus sustainability and energy efficiency through the creation and delivery of a pilot MOOC.

Pillar 3. STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT AT NATIONAL LEVEL - through networking initiatives, links will be strengthened between HEIs, local stakeholders and national policy makers. The presentation of a White Paper to the government, the organisation of two national conferences on campus sustainability and the launch of the MYSUN Network will ensure national-level impact and sustainability.

•  Activity 3.1 - Increasing dialogue with local stakeholders through the organisation of 4 round tables in each partner HEI.
• Activity 3.2 - Increasing dialogue and sharing of experiences and good practices at a national level through the organisation of 2 National Conferences & Workshops on Campus Sustainability.
• Activity 3.3 - Providing policy recommendations for the Malaysian Higher Education sector for campus sustainability.

Pillar 4. VISIBILITY, QUALITY & MANAGEMENT – will support other work packages and ensure high quality, relevant & sustainable results and high visibility & strong interaction with all target groups, with project implementation timely and on-budget.

• Activity 4.1 - Launching a national-level cooperation platform for sustainable HEI campuses, the MYSUN Network, fully supported by MOE.
• Activity 4.2 – Disseminate information to identified targeted groups through various channels.
At project’s end, MYSUN will have supported its partner institutions in having more sustainable campuses, enhanced human capital, structured and consistency guidelines for national development, and a platform for continuous cooperation within and beyond the consortium, ensuring the long-term impact of the project at a national level.