A luxury resort, a smart city or perhaps a royal mansion? That was my first thought when I arrived at MDIS, a sprawling three hectare campus located right in the heart of the model city, Singapore. For an institution that's older than the country (since independence) itself, MDIS is the farthest thing from ancient. From the reception to the car park to the hostel rooms, every corner gleams with innovation and creativity, neatly crafted with perfection. For instance, the inpirational quotes that you just can't escape. Everywhere you turn your head, there's something to remind you to keep your eyes on your goal.
On the occassion of its 60th anniversary, the Management and Development Institute of Singapore has much to celebrate and much more to look forward to. Founded in 1956, MDIS, then known as Supervisory and Management Training Association of Singapore (SAMTAS) was initially intended to address the training needs of Singapore's workforce. It was renamed 'MDIS' in 1988. Today, the institute has about 13,000 students from over 82 countries.
Growth Strategy
Like every other institution, there was a time when MDIS was running so low on finances. However, with the efforts of the Secretary General Dr R Theyvendran, MDIS now hits a profit of about SG$500 million. What worked for them was their unique system of being 'not-for-profit'. "At MDIS, we use all our surplus or profit to fund the development of the organisation, " says Theyvendran and adds, "We are looking at alternative methods to bring in students. Social Media is the way forward," talking about their efforts into marketing through Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter.
Teaching Methods:
For an institution that has made its mark as one of the best in terms of value for money, MDIS no doubt places high priority on quality. Theyvendran says, "We believe that if quality is sacrificed in education, then it's finished. Teaching styles are changing. It has to be more interactive. You cannot go by the old style of lecturing. Students want engagement. We have lecturers from London come over to train our teachers."
University Partners
MDIS has nine schools – Business; Engineering; Fashion and Design; Health and Life Sciences; Languages; Media and Communication; Psychology; Technology and E-Learning; and Tourism and Hospitality with degrees awarded for Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Bachelor's and Master's. In order to maintain international standards, MDIS has collaborations with several international universities that provide the curriculum and award the degrees.
Chennai Campus
With their first international campus launched in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2008, followed by Malaysia, MDIS has boldly taken the initiative to set up its presence in Chennai through a tie-up with Vel's University, where it will offer courses in the schools of Tourism and Hospitality, and Business. "Students will be given the opportunity to complete their final year in the Singapore campus and the degrees will be offered by Bangor University, UK.
International Campuses: 1. Uzbekistan 2. Malaysia 3. Chennai
University Partners: 1. Grenoble, France 2. Northumbria, UK 3. Oklahama City University, USA 4. Nottingham Trent, UK 5. Southern Cross, Australia 6. Bangor,UK 7. Sunderland, UK 8. Leeds Beckett, UK
(The writer was in Singapore at the invitation of MDIS)
Reach out: www.mdis.edu.sg