Welcome! Glad to know you are planning/attending our Colloquium on Intercultural Awareness at Open University on March 7, 2009.

We have decided to name this BLOG culiq which stands for cultural intelligence. And for the next few days, we want to keep you posted on the events leading to March 7. After March 7, we plan to add materials from the colloquium so that you can continue to read what we have documented. You can also submit your ideas and suggestions on the topic.

Well – all of us know Malaysia is a multicultural society but how many of us understand one another’s culture? How many of us have friends from different ethnic groups and faiths? How about languages? How proficient are we in speaking the many languages of Malaysians?

I am sure you’ll agree that we have a long way to go before all Malaysians can call themselves culturally literate.

With that objective in mind, the Fulbright Alumni Association of Malaysia (FAAM) together with Open University, Malaysia (OUM) and the Malaysian American Cultural Educational Exchange (MACEE) will be organizing a one-day colloquium to address the issues and challenges of living in multi ethnic, multi religious and multi lingual Malaysian society. Our main intent is to create awareness on the need to promote cultural literacy in the country by holding a series of exchanges with different groups of people who are concerned about what is happening in the country.

So, do come and join us on Saturday, March 7 at Open University KL. The Organising Committee has invited a great lineup of keynote and panel speakers and workshop facilitators and hopefully by the end of the day we’ll have documented materials which will be the beginning of a publication.

Below is the agenda for the day:

Agenda of Colloquium on March 7, 2009 at Open University.

8.00 am: Registration
8.30 am: Arrival of Guests of Honour
8.45 am: Welcome Speech by Vice President/Vice Chancellor OUM YBhg Professor Tan Sri
Anuwar Ali
-Opening Speech by Deputy Director General, Higher Education Department,
Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE)YBhg Datuk Professor Mohd Yusof Bin Kasim
9.00 am: Keynote Address on Enhancing Racial Ties by YBhg Tan Sri Ani Arope First
Recipient
of Malaysian Fulbright Scholarship Award, YBhg Tan Sri Dr Ani Arope
9.30 am: Presentation of Souvenirs
-Refreshment
-End of Opening Ceremony
10.00 am: Experiential Based Activity by Kua Hui Min
11.15 am: Panel presentations; Personal Reflections and Insights on Multiculturalism in
Malaysia
Moderator: Dr Asma Abdullah
Panelists: Dr Suseela Malakolunthu, Dr Tripat Narayanan, Dr
Hamidah Marican, Dr. Valerie Ross, Assoc. Prof . Koh Soo Ling, Dina Zaman and
Eddin Khoo
1.00 pm: Lunch
2.15 pm: Talk by Mano Maniam; The Arts as Vanguard in Malaysia
2.45 pm: Facilitated Workshops ala World Cafe:
-Taking Stock
-Sharing Stories
-Values & Practices – Best Practices and Minefields
-Approaches and Cultural Quotient
-Generation Y and Technology in Building Racial Harmony
Round 1 : 2.45 - 3.15 pm
Round 2 : 3.15- 3.45 pm
3.45 pm: Refreshment
4.15 pm: Presentation by Moderators, Feedback
5.00 pm: Closing


So, keep March 7 free and join us at Open University, KL (behind Bank Negara) Bring along your friends. You can register by completing the following form:



Registration Form

I will be able to attend the one-day Colloquium on “Intercultural Awareness” on Saturday, 7 March 2009 at Seminar Rooms, Open University Malaysia.

Name: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________

Tel. No: ______________ HP: ___________________

Fax No: ______________________

Email address: ______________________

Colloquium fee: RM 50 – Lunch and two coffee breaks included

Mode of Payment: Please pay RM50 to RHB Account No: 21412900205302

If you are paying by cheque, please make it to: PERSATUAN FULBRIGHT ALUMNI MALAYSIA OR FULBRIGHT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MALAYSIA
c/o MALAYSIAN-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE(MACEE) 18th Floor, Menara Yayasan Tun Razak, 200, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.