KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 – UCSI University’s third Vice-Chancellor, Academician Senior Professor Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff has passed away.

He was 66-years-old. Senior Professor Dr Khalid breathed his last Monday afternoon at Hospital Pengajar Universiti Putra Malaysia.

“Today, we bid goodbye to Senior Professor Dr Khalid, our vice-chancellor and president of UCSI University. While we know that he has gone home, I, like so many others at UCSI, am saddened to part with a colleague, a confidante and above all, a dear friend whom I have learnt much from,” said UCSI Group CEO and founder Dato’ Peter Ng.

Dato Peter described Senior Professor Dr Khalid as “never one to rest on laurels”.

“Senior Professor Dr Khalid has made a profound impact on UCSI’s student experience. Tapping into his research networks, he single-handedly formed a collaborative arrangement with Harvard University that empowered UCSI medical students with opportunities to pursue year-long research programmes at an institution many regard as the world’s best university,” he said.

“Let us remember him fondly for everything he stood for and may we emulate his commitment to excellence, and his unwavering focus to finish every endeavour his burning desire to create a better world. May we commit him to memory in all we do,” Dato Peter added.

Senior Professor Dr Khalid had been instrumental in enhancing the University’s standing and stature when he took charge in 2013 and as a result, UCSI gained various accolades and gained numerous recognitions for academic reputation and employability, to name a few.

Under his leadership, UCSI emerged as Malaysia’s best private university for two years in row in the QS World University Rankings 2019 and 2020 exercises. He had also improved UCSI’s Institute of Music’s (IMus) repute.

The music school, today, is a world’s top 50 in performing arts. Aside from IMus, in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021, the faculty of hospitality and tourism management made it to the top 100 in the world for hospitality and leisure management; faculty of engineering made it to the top 150 for petroleum engineering; and the business faculty was ranked in the top 300 for business and management.

Senior Professor Dr Khalid has constantly strived to push the University’s status further and higher.

As a result, UCSI University was placed in Tier-5 (Mature Category) as “very competitive” in the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2019 exercise (SETARA 2019) awarded by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).

His international outlook was best demonstrated in his development and forging of strategic partnerships between UCSI and world leading universities such as Harvard, Imperial College London, Tsinghua, Queensland and RMIT, among others.

Senior Professor Dr Khalid, a clinical cardiologist by training, began his medical career as a student at The University of Melbourne, Australia. He was then trained in Cardiology at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

On returning to Malaysia, he built a strong career in academia, bolstered by national and international recognition of his contributions. He was a firm advocate of research and development and his findings were frequently published in high-impact international journals.

He leaves behind his wife, Professor Datin Paduka Dr Khatijah Mohd Yusoff and two children, Nur Azzah Che Khalid and Muhammad Zulqarnain Che Khalid.

The University is deeply saddened by the loss of one the luminaries of education in Malaysia; and the wise counsel whom we had always depended on. His motto to “Go beyond; Be profound: Make a difference” will continue to resonate in the lives of all at UCSI.