Professor Jim Mienczakowski

Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia

An Australian national, Professor Jim Mienczakowski joined Curtin Sarawak in July 2013. In his prior position, he served as Executive Director of Higher Education and Vice Chancellor of Emirates College for the Advancement of Education, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Professor Mienczakowski has a Bachelor of Education degree from University of London’s Institute of Education, a Master of Arts from King's College, London, and a PhD from Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. He also has a Dip CSSD from London University’s Central School where he studied in the early 1970s.

He is an experienced academic administrator, having held senior positions in universities in Australia, including Foundation Dean of Education and Creative Arts, and later, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Research) at Central Queensland University, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Industry and Community) at Victoria University.

With a strong background in education, having taught in Australia, the UK and the West Indies, his teaching and research interests reflect a broad and interdisciplinary approach to research. Having published extensively in the areas of qualitative research theory and methodologies, social sciences, ethnography, health education, schooling and performance, his published works also include a number of ethnographically informed theatrical plays. Professor Mienczakowski is on the editorial and advisory boards of a number of journals including Sage’s Qualitative Research.

Professor Mienczakowski leads a team of over 300 staff members (with a current enrolment of about 3,500 students from over 40 countries) in order to take the highly-acclaimed Curtin Sarawak campus to the next level.

His focus will be to capitalise on the significant and excellent work already achieved in Curtin Sarawak by his predecessors and to further internationalise both Curtin Sarawak’s identity and its student intakes. Curtin Sarawak’s strong emphasis on providing student focussed learning and supporting students throughout their programmes and early careers are elements of university life he is keen to develop further.

Growth of Curtin Sarawak’s national and international research capacities and achievements will also play a big part in his plans for the Miri campus but so too will enhancing the total student experience, providing students with richly interactive and personalised learning experiences, effective new teaching and engagement approaches and equipping them with leadership skills for the future. In addition, through high-impact research in areas of strategic importance, Curtin Sarawak seeks to deliver outcomes of significant value to the local and regional communities.

“Being recognised and respected as leading in research and education is very much part of Curtin’s global mission. Curtin Sarawak must also contribute to that recognition and to the rich and diverse fabric of Malaysia’s rapidly developing higher education environment,” he said.

Farah Nazsardar, Pakistan

B.Com in Accounting & Finance - 1st year

Peshawar-born Farah Nazsardar, who first heard of Curtin Sarawak through the internet, and friends says she has visited Miri twice before. However she was pleasantly surprised to see what a nice place Curtin Sarawak Campus is. Farah likes the style of lecturing in Curtin where the lecturers have better communication with the students. “The one-on-one tutorial is very effective. The lecturers are very helpful. They know everyone personally and we are like their friends.”

Hasnat Noorchowdhury,Bangladesh

Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering), 2007 - current

It’s been two years since I first arrived at Miri Airport and a Curtin Sarawak staff member brought me to my campus accommodation. Since then, I have been very pleased with how things have gone for me here. I have found the academics here to be outstandingly professional and organized, and along with a very healthy learning environment on the campus, have made my coursework enjoyable.

The numerous extracurricular activities provided by at the university and the various student clubs have also helped me enjoy campus life here. Joining Curtin Sarawak has not only enhanced my academic standards but has also helped me realize my creative talents and improve my leadership, organization and communication skills.

Iqbal Dato Haji Selamat, Brunei Darussalam

Mass Communications, 3 years

International students would find themselves at home at Curtin Sarawak. It is fun to study at Curtin. There are a lot of activities which students could get involved in. Various clubs have been set up in the university mainly to help students to socialise with each other and in addition, improve one’s social skills. I am an active member of Curtin Volunteers! and Students Council. Over time, such activities helps to build one’s self-confidence. Interaction among students gives a more homely feel and eliminates homesickness as there is a bond being shared by the students regardless of their nationality.

The small lecturer-student ratio allows more interaction and one-to-one discussions between student and lecturer. Lectures go uninterrupted as the attention span is more focused.

Phikisani Moyo, Zimbabwe

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Finance), July 2007 - December 2010

The love, care, respect and support we got from all the staff, management, lecturers and the Miri residents were unprecedented.It motivated me and my family and brought a huge relief to my parents. At least now they know that their sacrifices did not go down the drain. My parents have been more proud of me than they have been before and just recently my father confessed to me that he came close to tears of gratitude at the way we were treated, the awards I received and the speech I made and the whole stay in Malaysia. The conduct of the African students was as if they had seen their own parents and this left an impact on my parents because they have always talked good about the student life at Curtin as the standards of good behaviour.

Riaz Osman Ismail, Kenya

Mechanical Engineering, 4 Years

Coming to Malaysia meant a great shift in events for me and perhaps has played a key role in shaping me into who I am now. Often I have heard of Malaysia as a country with lucrative tourist destinations, it is only when I came here that I got to see it up close. A welcoming feeling was immediate. I suppose the best hospitality I have ever come across in all my travels has to be attributed to Malaysia. My decision to study in an international university here was governed mainly by the cost involved. While my friends who left to study in Europe struggled to make ends meet working part time, I am delighted to say that this has been less of an issue here.

Studying in a country with ethnic diversity in such great harmony has exposed me to new cultures and a rich learning experience. This is perhaps the most important factor that has helped other internationals like me to easily adjust to the new environment. My study life here has been met by the often jovial and stressful times as experienced by students studying away from home, but it is the exceptional nature of the environment and the people that have held me together. At this point, I eagerly anticipate unravelling more from a country with a spirit of “Malaysia Boleh!”

Shawn Adler, Australia

B.Com in Accounting & Property, 2nd year

Shawn was from Curtin Bentley Campus in Perth/>, Australia/>/> before deciding on coming to Curtin Sarawak Campus. “I had little knowledge of Sarawak/> but I was attracted to come here. My biggest surprise was the remoteness of the place and the “night life” of cosmopolitan Miri. It’s a definitely good cultural experience.” Shawn was also amazed at the exceptionally high standard of teaching in the campus here, which he describes as comparable, if not better than in Bentley. “For the simple reason that the number of students per class is small, the teaching is therefore, very personalized, making it easier for me to interact with the lecturers,” said Shawn.