Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) will continue to enhance facilities and infrastructure at Pantai Kemudi Ilmu as part of its efforts to support the university’s international achievements, while delivering benefits to the campus community, the general public, and domestic and international visitors.
UMS Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansor said Pantai Kemudi Ilmu reflects the university’s commitment to leveraging the campus environment as a community space, recreational area, and knowledge-based tourism attraction, in line with its aspiration to become a world-class university.
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“Pantai Kemudi Ilmu is not merely a venue for celebrations, but a symbol of UMS’s openness to the community and visitors. Improvements to facilities in this area will continue to be strengthened to support the university’s image, the well-being of the campus community, and the visitor experience,” he said.
Dr Kasim made the remarks during his address at the New Year’s Eve 2026 Celebration, held for the second time at Pantai Kemudi Ilmu on the night of Dec 31, 2025.
The event was chaired by Prof Datuk Dr Ismail Ali, Dean of the Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning (PPIB) and Director of the UMS Blue Economy and Maritime Security Research Centre.
The campus-wide New Year’s Eve celebration was further enlivened by multilingual poetry recitals in Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, Tamil, and Kadazandusun, highlighting cultural diversity, linguistic inclusivity, and UMS’ strength as a hub of knowledge and international interaction.
Dr Kasim also expressed gratitude for UMS’ achievements throughout 2025, including its first-time inclusion among the world’s top 700 universities, as well as its strong standing among young universities globally.
He emphasised that these achievements were the result of collective efforts by academic and non-academic staff, students, and the continued support of strategic partners, the local community, the Sabah state government, non-governmental organisations, and the public and private sectors.
Commenting on the direction for 2026, he called on the entire university community to strengthen teamwork, strategic planning, and comprehensive collaboration in addressing challenges and seizing new opportunities.
“The success of a university does not rest on individuals alone, but emerges from collective, complementary efforts. With shared commitment, UMS is confident of further strengthening excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement in 2026,” he said.
