On the 16th April 2013, Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Goldman School of Public Policy (GSPP) of the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, United States of America (USA). The IPS-GSPP MOU was signed by Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina POKLWDSS Hj Abdul Aziz, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs and Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean, Director of IPS of UBD, with Professor George Breslauer, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and Professor Henry Brady, Dean of GSPP of the University of California, Berkeley. Also present at the ceremony were the executive administrators and senior faculty members of GSPP.
In his Welcoming Remarks, Professor George Breslauer shared that the University of California, Berkeley is also similarly embarking on an internationalisation agenda and that the signing was at an opportune time in which both institutions with similar interests could benefit. He further elaborated “I am positive that as both universities continue to review and prioritise areas of strengths to move forward, opportunities in education, student and faculty visits will continue to develop for future collaborations.”
The Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public was founded in 1969 as one of the first public policy institutions in the USA. It is ranked number one in the USA in 2012’s US News and World Report rankings on Public Affairs schools, and is at the forefront in public and social welfare policy. The Goldman School is known for its distinguished faculty members who are well known nationally and internationally including Professor Robert B. Reich who has served in three U.S. administrations, most recently as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton and served on President-Elect Obama’s transition advisory board.
With this latest signing, IPS has now formalized its partnership with four of the world’s leading schools of public policy which are Georgetown Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University, School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. These four institutions will be taking UBD students for a semester in the new Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) programme that will be offered by UBD later this year.
The MPPM is an 18-month programme where the students will spend 12 months in UBD and their third semester in one of the partner schools of public policy in the USA. The unique interdisciplinary programme aims to develop high calibre, transformational leaders in public management capable of both formulating and critically reviewing policy as well as managing its implementation to meet the nation’s developmental demands. Hence, the MPPM programme stresses on nurturing excellence in these attributes – policy skills, analytical ability, quantitative skills, and leadership and management qualities. The MPPM will have three specialisation tracks – Islamic governance and international relations, energy policy and management, and environmental policy and management.
Applications are now open. The closing date for applicants from Brunei Darussalam going through Latihan Dalam Perkhidmatan (LDP) and applicants from ASEAN and East Asian countries applying for the Brunei Government scholarship is on 17th July 2013. The closing date for other applicants is 30th September 2013.
Caption: Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina POKLWDSS Hj Abdul Aziz, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs and Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean, Director of IPS, of UBD, with Professor George Breslauer, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, and Professor Henry Brady, Dean of GSPP, University of California, Berkeley at the Signing Ceremony.
