Welcome future talents to the Faculty of Business, Design and Arts (FBDA) family.

Firstly, allow me to congratulate each of you for having a secure tertiary education opportunity. Secondly, for making the right choice to pursue your tertiary study at our dedicated School of Business (SOB) and School of Design and Arts (SODA), where we aim to bring practical and outcome-based learning to life.

Here at FBDA, we put the you (the future talents) at the center of everything we do: thus, your experience here at FBDA and your success are utmost important to every member of our Academics and Administrative staffs.

Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are entrepreneurs who are highly enthusiastic, creative problem solvers, risks takers who learn from failures and thrive on challenges. At Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, we foster these eminent traits by encouraging all of you to think outside the box, be innovative in developing their business sense and to cultivate entrepreneurial ideas into impactful action. And when I said, “think outside the box,” I literally mean it. The way to achieve that is to have an open and the right mindset.

Thus, throughout your education journey at FBDA, your thought process will be constantly challenged; be it within the four walls of a classroom or extra-curricular activities or industry networking sessions. The various teaching and learning touchpoints would encourage them to be resourceful, persevere in any situation; be resilient and passionate in whichever tasks they put their mind to.

Ultimately, FBDA strives to nurture a generation of leaders that will have a different worldview through the humanistic lens.

As an adult learner, you have greater freedom and responsibility now. You are expected to be more self-reliant. There will be no one check up on you, you are accountable for yourself. Do ensure that you attend your classes, read the materials provided by your lecturers and tutors, do your own research for lifelong learning, be participative in class, complete your assignments, and attempt all the assessments.

While we expect you to assume a new level of responsibility, please realize that you are not alone. There is an abundance of support services available to you. Contact your Course Director, lecturer, or tutor if you need any help.

Your arrival at FBDA marks a new chapter in the story of your life. But this chapter is a bit different. The preceding chapters were largely written by others – your parents, guardians, families, teachers, and the like. Now you will be the principal author of the next chapter – you have the opportunity to determine the direction, the plot, and the tempo of your story. And with those few words of advice, I wish you every success at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus and I am confident that you will find it an immensely rewarding experience.

COME EMPTY, LEAVE FILLED.

Thank you.