25/04/2024
How to rebuild a city with Karam Alkatlabe
We are delighted to announce that Professor Dato’ Dr Elizabeth Lee has been elected an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College.
Elizabeth is an alumna of Wolfson College who has dedicated her life to education. She graduated with an MPhil in Education in 1985. Her research thesis “Gender Differences in Second Language Acquisition”, led to changes in Malaysian schools. The result was a more equitable distribution of boys and girls studying sciences and arts at sixth form and beyond.
She is the Group Chief Executive of Sunway Education, which is owned and governed by the not-for-profit Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Having led the group since 1992, it has grown from just one institution to 20 institutions, encompassing early childhood learning to higher education and research-intensive centres, including its flagship Sunway University.
The guiding principles of Sunway Education are in close alignment with the values of Wolfson College, with their strong commitment to deliver and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Planetary Health with a particular emphasis on equitable access to quality education.
Elizabeth’s contributions and leadership in education have been recognised by many international awards. She is a forceful advocate for women in education and in business. Many of her awards reflect the high regard in which she is held as an inclusive leader.
As she has said: “One does not have to be a world leader to change the world. One can be the force to shape leaders of tomorrow from the very classrooms which are intended to nurture such leaders.”
Elizabeth has close ties to Wolfson and has been a strong advocate for the College. It is through her collaboration with Wolfson that we now have strong links with the ASEAN Young Scientists Network. Thus far, Wolfson and Sunway have hosted two international conferences at Sunway for emerging researchers from across the entire ASEAN region.
The President, Professor Jane Clarke said: “Elizabeth and I share a common belief - that it is through education that we can change the world for the better. Indeed, she describes herself “Simply, a teacher at heart.”
“As someone who has tirelessly worked to ensure access to education for all, and particularly for girls in South-East Asia, I am delighted to welcome her as an Honorary Fellow of Wolfson College.”
