CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS OF UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA (UiTM) MELAKA BRANCH

Abstract

Universities worldwide striving to excel in the management of academic achievements, student activities, research and industrial linkages need to scrutinize their critical success factors (CSFs). UiTM Melaka is not an exception. To achieve excellence, one of the key determinants is proper planning and initiatives in strategizing and systemizing the processes involved. The objectives of this paper are to discuss the practices and achievements of UiTM Melaka, and to identify its CSFs. The good practices are such as top-down commitment by the management, bottom-up involvement of staff from every level, cultivating and sharing culture in every program, continuous improvement in carrying out tasks and responsibilities, reward and recognition for outstanding staff and setting a long term goal in connecting the industry and community with academia. Those good practices have showed various promising results. For instance, UiTM Melaka has developed a proper procedure in appointing academic administrators, achieved the highest percentage of student voters among the 34 campuses, enhanced entrepreneurship development among students, secured the highest number of grants for social science, registered 60 product innovations with copyrights and commercialized seven products, published the first edition of consultants directory and generated more than RM200,000 from training and activities organized through memorandum of understandings. The achievements were obtained through CSFs of UiTM Melaka. The CSFs identified were (i) academic affairs administration;  (ii) student affairs administration;  (iii) entrepreneurship development; (iv) research grant administration;  (v) invention, innovation and commercialization; (vi) industrial linkages development and; (vii) internationalization. The CSFs have truly encouraged its staff and students to build the university together. As such, adapting CSFs has aided the management to excel in achieving its goals.

Keywords: Achievement, Critical success factors, Management, Practices, University