“The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Efforts by University for the Environment”

 Universiti Sains Malaysia

13 – 14 March 2010

 IPRM Student Chapter

Speech - Professor Dato’ Mohd Hamdan Adnan, President of Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM)

Yang Berbahagia Datuk Nor Azmal Mohd. Nazir

Deputy Secretary General (Green Technology and Water), Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water, representing Yang Berhormat Hjh. Noriah Bt Kasnon, Deputy Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water

Acting Vice Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia

Yang Berbahagia Associate Professor Dr. Kiranjit Kaur

IPRMSA Advisor and Education Chair

Associate Professor Adnan Hussein

Dean of School of Communication

Dr. Jamilah Hj. Ahmad

NEMGRADS Project Advisor

Vice-Chair, IPRM Northern Chapter

Miss Rajeswary Rajandran

NEMGRADS Project Director

Lecturers

Members of the media

Students

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh and a very good morning to all of you.

I am very pleased to be invited today to officiate the launching of Institute of Public Relations Malaysia Student Association (IPRMSA). Thank you for being here to share this important moment with us. In this regards, I would like to congratulate the committee members as well as Dr. Jamilah Hj. Ahmad as an advisor and also the Vice-Chair, IPRM Northern Chapter. 

IPRM is proud to be in collaboration with NEMGRADS to organise this seminar entitled “The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Efforts by University for the Environment”. This seminar has brought together practitioners and students to address key issues on the environment and the university’s CSR efforts towards preserving the environment. It is crucial to discuss the importance of universities in relation to CSR efforts for the environment.  This is to develop CSR initiatives in universities especially in area of environmental awareness, preservation and rehabilitation. By doing so, it can determine future direction of university CSR initiatives for environment and how it can improve in future.

Nowadays, societies are not too concerned about the importance of CSR.  This is especially among students. They are not exposed enough to the programs involving activities about CSR efforts in the place they are studying.  The Malaysian government on the other hand has made the contribution of CSR as mandatory under the law.  In accordance with this critical need, NEMGRADS has taken an initiative to collaborate with IPRM to conducti this crucial student seminar to disseminate information on CSR and to instil the importance of CSR in the students as well as environmental protection.

Hence, this seminar is timely if not urgently required.  It is to gather universitities students across our country, and even globally.  We are proud to have international participants from Indonesia and India to discuss this topic with us.  I am sure they will give an added dimension to our discussion. We will learn from each other and brings home the valuable experiences to share it with the rest of our friends in the universities who do not have the opportunity to come to this informative seminar. We need to ensure that the new generation continues our efforts to create awareness among students of higher learning on how important CSR is as well as the urgent need to save and enhance mother earth.

Here, I would to remind that the purpose of establishing Institute of Public Relations Malaysia Student Association (IPRMSA) in universities are to bring together students from higher learning institutions that are interested in public relations.  In IPRMSA students can gain very valueable public relations experience by being actively involved in pertinent programs under one association supported by IPRM. They can be guided by many successful public relations practitioners for their career development. IPRM has played a significant role in the training and development of more than 5,000 Malaysian in preparing and qualifying them for a career in public relations. The IPRM has enhanced its training and development of public relations practitioners both from the public and private sector.

Therefore, collaborating with students and encouraging students to be part of IPRMSA is another move for IPRM. Here, I would like to congratulate NEMGRADS 2010 for their initiative to launch its Institute of Public Relations Malaysia Student Association (IPRMSA)-USM Chapter in conjunction with this seminar.

I sincerely hope students from Universiti Sains Malaysia will find this organisation interesting and benefits them throughout the studies and in future undertakings. On that note, and with the recitation of “Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim”, it is my pleasure to launch the IPRMSA-USM Chapter.  May it be sustainabe and forever active in championing public relations in the universities.

Thank you.

Professor Dato’ Mohd Hamdan Adnan

President of Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM)