The Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and former Australian politician, Professor Robert Hill, paid Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) a courtesy visit on 8^th October in preparation for the Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit to be held in Sydney on 12 November.

Currently also serving as Special Advisor to Australia’s Minister for the Environment, Gregory Hunt, Professor Hill visited the Sultanate to pay courtesy visits to Bruneian counterparts and to meet with UBD with particular interest in the Heart of Borneo project as well as academic perspectives on the initiative.

During his visit, the Professor was briefed on UBD’s GenNEXT Programme and Discovery Year, where he learned of UBD’s efforts to provide an all-round, broad-based and trans-disciplinary education framework to prepare students for a smooth transition into the professional arena. Professor Hill also learned about the International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE), which he lauded as a great effort into understanding the environment and stepping up efforts for environment conservation and forest management. 

Professor Hill showed his support for UBD’s GenNEXT Programme, saying that a multi-disciplinary approach is the right direction towards a wholesome education that develops students into well-rounded individuals. He added that many universities in Australia are also encouraging multi-disciplinary education and study abroad programmes, which has seen a rise in percentage in student intake over the years. 

“For what it is worth, I think it’s a very good idea of getting to broaden students’ experience - It helps them live in a world that is becoming more interrelated, understanding, coping with different cultures, different pressures,” he said during the meeting with the Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs) of UBD and members of Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Research (IBER). 

For a relatively young university, Professor Hill said, UBD has been very successful in gaining the recognition it has within Brunei Darussalam and outside. He added that UBD’s effort in building key collaborations around the world is a great initiative to expanding its research areas and connections, while helping to build the academic reputation of the university.

“It (the GenNEXT Programme) accords with good contemporary practice – the pendulum is always swinging. At the moment, that’s regarded as the good way to go in terms of university experience… you’re educating students to grow holistically, and trying to develop them as a whole.”

According to Professor Hill, UBD is making an important contribution to environmental conservation in line with the Heart of Borneo initiative, while its collaborative research efforts contributes to better forest management to maintain Borneo’s biodiversity.

“You are playing an important role… it is quite interesting where, relative to your neighbours, your rainforest is small in areas but the quality and management has been very good, [along with] the fact that you have built this collaborative programme".