Monash College CEO and Associate Director visit Sri Lanka

From a single campus in Melbourne with just 400 students in 1961, Monash has grown into an ecosystem of campuses, education centres and partnerships spanning the globe, with approximately 60,000 students and international campuses in Malaysia, China, India, Italy and South Africa. Monash College, a wholly owned subsidiary of Monash University responsible for the support of international students into all campuses of the university extends the Monash presence through operations in Indonesia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and now in Sri Lanka.

Monash College CEO Jo Mithen and Associate Director Marketing Shileen Costain recently visiting the country outlined their ambitious plans for Sri Lanka.

Monash College CEO Jo Mithen and Associate Director Marketing Shileen Costain

Mithen said that as the youngest member of the prestigious Group of Eight, an alliance of leading Australian universities recognised for their excellence in teaching and research, Monash has fostered a strong record of innovation through research collaboration and engagement with industry. Striving to be international, excellent, enterprising and inclusive, the university has been positioned in the industry as an education and research powerhouse.

“At Monash, we take our reputation seriously and our commitment to quality is relentless. I believe this is one of the key reasons that we have achieved an enviable national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence in a short span of just 50 years, and are also ranked in the top 100 of world universities. Leaders from the world’s most successful companies consistently rate Monash as a preferred university from which to hire graduates. As a young university, the outlook at Monash is progressive and optimistic and free of cynicism, tradition or convention. We are very excited to have a presence in Sri Lanka and to offer opportunities’ to Sri Lankan students to reap great career benefits similar to what we have offered  many students in countries that we have had a presence in,” she stated. 

Speaking of the opportunities gained through their courses and the student support offered, Costain said, “What students want from a university differs between individuals. Some want to undertake a broad education while others have a specific career objective in mind. Some have difficulty deciding between two strong areas of interest. Therefore Monash courses have been structured with students in mind and no matter what their goals, there are courses to suit their needs. 

“Our curriculum has a wide breath of offerings and comprise of almost all the study areas in the world today. This has lead to Monash having one of the largest student communities for undergraduate studies. This outward looking curriculum comprises of multifaceted modes of delivery, and opportunities to develop a range of practical skills. Students can improve career prospects on several fronts. For instance if a student’s chosen career requires a specific qualification, we build that into their course. 

“We offer industry experience and opportunities to take on internships roles and build a range of important skills into our curriculum, so that no matter which course a student chooses, they graduate with the communication, analytical and research skills employers will want in their specific industry.”

Currently in the process of visiting all key schools in the main districts in Sri Lanka Mithen concluded by saying, “We look forward to further strengthening our ties with Sri Lanka through our local partner Universal College Lanka that by itself comprises of some renowned personalities from both the business and education industries. With some of the best academics in the world and professional staff we are confident that  Monash  can pave pathways for  students in Sri Lanka to enjoy limitless opportunities to succeed in their careers of choice whilst being highly sought after graduates in the global arena.”