KUCHING – After almost six years the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Professor Helmut Lueckenhausen, has returned to Melbourne, Australia.
On Friday, 25 May, he called on Sarawak Chief Minister Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud at his residence in Demak Jaya to say farewell. Taib is also the Pro Chancellor of Swinburne Sarawak.
Accompanying Lueckenhausen was Datuk Dr Philip Ting, who is a director and member of the university council. He is also Australian Honorary Consul.
Dr Andrew Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Swinburne Sarawak, was also present.
Taking over from Lueckenhausen is Professor Ken Heskin, who had helmed Swinburne Sarawak from late 1999 to 2002.
Lueckenhausen will assume his new role at Swinburne in Melbourne as the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation.
A leading exponent in the field of studio furniture, he commenced work at Swinburne Sarawak in August 2006. Since then he has overseen the RM110 million expansion of the campus which included the addition of eight new custom-designed buildings. The expansion project was completed in 2008.
During his time at the helm, the student population at the campus grew from 1,400 to over 3,500, and campus revenue increased four-fold.
He steered the campus successfully through the institutional and follow-up audits by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) which resulted in Swinburne Sarawak being awarded self- accreditation status.
The Sarawak campus is also one of only 18 institutions of higher learning in the country awarded a Tier 5: Excellent rating, the highest obtained by any university, in the MQA’s 2009 Rating System for Higher Education (Setara ’09).
In recognition of his contribution to tertiary education, the Head of State of Sarawak Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin, on his 89th birthday in 2010 bestowed on Lueckenhausen the honorary title of Darjah Utama Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak Johan Bintang Kenyalang (Order of the Star of Hornbill).