Associate Professor Dr. Hj. Syamsul Fozy Osman (or fondly known as Dr. Sam by the campus’ community) is the incumbent Deputy Vice- Chancellor of Student Affairs & Alumni for University Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM).

This winner of the prestigious MARA 2008 Outstanding Educator Award was the Director of Kolej Poly-Tech Mara (KPTM) Kota Bharu prior to serving UPTM. He holds a PhD. in Education from International Islamic University and Master of Science (TESL) from Universiti Putra Malaysia and is equipped with vast experience in teaching, management and research upon serving KPTM/UPTM in different capacities for more than 25 years.

The field experience he gained throughout the years has developed a fascination on education in Dr. Sam. It is his belief that education is a compulsory element for positive change to occur in the society. This belief is mainly attributed to the acknowledgement that education is a manifestation of the greatness of Allah as mentioned in the Surah Al-Alaq, 96:1-5, where Allah almighty proclaims that reading, as a source of knowledge, would provide enlightenment and guidance towards righteousness. Furthermore, in Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:11, Allah emphasizes that transforming the circumstances of a society necessitates real effort from the society itself.

Hence, Dr. Sam is assured that each individual is a potential catalyst of change in the society provided that the person is knowledgeable and willing to make an effort. To him, UPTM is the perfect vehicle, acting as an incubator, forming a progressive yet matured generation imbued with values of being trustworthy, caring, resilient and respected, who would in turn be instruments of change for the future of the nation. Thus, besides being committed to the welfare and wellbeing of the university’s students, his team in the Student Affairs and Alumni Department (HEPA), is determined to create a positive campus lifestyle that opens up opportunities for the students to explore, experiment and gain real-life experiences. These experiences, combined with the knowledge accumulated in the students’ academic endeavours, would allow them to gain insights and wisdom in facing the tribulations of life as effective members of the society.

Advocating the Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory, the importance of allowing individuals to build their motivation intrinsically by satisfying the needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the activities that they do is impressed upon the strategic movements of UPTM’s HEPA. Extra-curricular activities are perceived as important complementary simulators of experience where activities would act as safe baby steps launchpads that would allow students to discover and hone their talents beyond the classroom within a realistic societal environment. Being involved in such activities would expose students to, what Dr. Sam would term as, multi-strata communication situations and professional business norms, that would allow the utilisation of knowledge and skills gained in the classrooms. Lessons learnt from these “forays into the wilderness” of human interaction would enhance students’ confidence in their competencies creating a very positive outlook on their capacity to do well in any kind of work environment as well as move towards the realization of self-actualization needs in an individual.

It is his aspiration that UPTM’s community, together with collaboration, commitment and assistance of the industry, government agencies and the society would garner a holistic effort towards the nation’s excellence especially through the development the nation’s future generation.