USM berjaya dipilih sertai program Apex

PUTRAJAYA: Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) hari ini berjaya dipilih untuk menyertai Program Pemacuan Untuk Kecemerlangan atau Apex dengan mengetepikan tiga lagi universiti, termasuk Universiti Malaya (UM). Menteri Pengajian Tinggi, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, berkata pemilihan USM adalah berdasarkan kepada pelan tranformasi dan kesediaannya untuk berubah seperti yang terkandung dalam kertas cadangnnya, memenuhi kriteria pemilihan yang diperlukan. “Pemilihan bagi program Apex tidak hanya melihat kepada pencapaian dan kecemerangan lepas tetapi lebih kepada perancangan masa depan serta sama ada universiti itu dapat mencapai status bertaraf dunia dalam tempoh yang diberikan iaitu lima tahun,” katanya semasa mengumumkan pemilihan USM di sini hari ini.

Katanya, dalam tempoh itu, USM mesti berada di antara 100 universiti terbaik dunia dan berada di dalam senarai 50 universiti terbaik dunia pada 2020. “Kita lihat dulu bagaimana kejayaan USM selepas itu barulah keputusan dibuat sama ada akan terdapat satu lagi universiti dipilih untuk program Apex,” katanya. Ditanya mengapa UM sebagai universiti tertua negara tidak terpilih, Mohamed Khaled berkata: “Pemilihan USM tidak bermaksud universiti lain akan dipinggirkan sebaliknya diharapkan ia akan menjadi perangsang kepada universiti yang tidak terpilih untuk terus berusaha mencapai status yang lebih baik dan bertaraf dunia.” Sebanyak sembilan universiti seluruh negara telah menghantar permohonan dan hanya empat universiti iaitu USM, UM, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) dan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) disenarai pendek.

Kertas cadangan USM bertemakan “Transforming Higher Education for a Sustainable Tomorrow”. Universiti Apex ialah pengiktirafan yang diberikan kepada IPT tempatan yang menjadi penanda aras di peringkat dunia dalam bidang pengajian tinggi dan dijanjikan autonomi daripada segi kewangan, skim perkhidmatan, pengurusan, pengambilan pelajar, kepemimpinan tertinggi dan penetapan yuran pengajian. — Bernama

http://www.bharian.com.my/Current_News/BH/Wednesday/Mutakhir/20080903175733/Article/index_html

Personal Details

Full name:
Nadia Elena Comaneci
Country Represented: Romania
Date of birth: November 12, 1961 (1961-11-12) (age 46)
Place of birth: Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Discipline: Women's artistic gymnastics
Level: Senior international
Gym: National Training Center
Former coach(es): Béla Károlyi; Marta Károlyi
Choreographer: Geza Pozar
Eponymous skills: Comaneci salto (uneven bars)
Retired:
1981

Nadia Elena Comăneci (originally Comăneci /ko.mə'neʧʲ/; born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian gymnast, winner of five Olympic gold medals, and the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is one of the best-known gymnasts in the world and, along with Olga Korbut, is credited with popularizing the sport around the world.

Early Life

Comaneci was born in Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej (now Oneşti), Romania, as the daughter of Gheorghe and Ştefania-Alexandrina.Her pregnant mother was watching a Russian film in which the heroine of the story's name was Nadya, the diminutive version of the Russian name Nadyezhda (which means, literally, "Hope"). She decided that her daughter would be named Nadia, too. Comaneci also has a younger brother named Adrian.

Early gymnastics career

Comaneci began gymnastics in kindergarten with a local team called "Flame", with coaches Duncan and Munteanu.At age 6 she was chosen to attend Béla Károlyi's experimental gymnastics school after he spotted her and a friend turning cartwheels in a schoolyard.Comaneci was training with the Károlyis by the time she was 7 years old, in 1969. She was one of the first students at the gymnastics school established in Onesti by Béla and his wife, Marta, who would later defect to the United States and become coaches of many prominent American gymnasts. Unlike many of the other students at the Károlyi school, Comaneci was able to commute from home for many years because she lived in the area.

Comaneci placed 13th in her first Romanian National Championships in 1969. A year later, in 1970, she began competing as a member of her hometown team and became the youngest gymnast ever to win the Romanian Nationals.In 1971, she participated in her first international competition, a dual junior meet between Romania and Yugoslavia, winning her first all-around title and contributing to the team gold. For the next few years, she competed as a junior in numerous national contests in Romania and additional dual meets with nearby countries such as Hungary, Italy and Poland.At the age of 11, in 1973, she won the all-around gold, as well as the vault and uneven bars titles, at the Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important meet for junior gymnasts.

Comaneci's first major international success came at the age of 13, when she nearly swept the 1975 European Championships in Skien, Norway, winning the all-around and gold medals on every event but the floor exercise, in which she placed second. She continued to enjoy success in other meets in 1975, winning the all-around at the "Champions All" competition and placing first in the all-around, vault, beam, and bars at the Romanian National Championships. In the Pre-Olympic test event in Montreal, Comaneci won the all-around and the balance beam golds, as well as silvers in the vault, floor, and bars behind accomplished Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim, who would prove to be one of her greatest rivals over the next five years.

In March 1976, Comaneci competed in the inaugural edition of the American Cup at Madison Square Garden in New York. She received unprecedented scores of 10.0, which signified a perfect routine without any deductions, on vault in both the preliminary and final rounds of competition and won the all-around.Comaneci also received 10s in other meets in 1976, including the prestigious Chunichi Cup competition in Japan, where she posted perfect marks on the vault and uneven bars.The international community took note of Comaneci: she was named the United Press International's "Female Athlete of the Year" for 1975.

Faizal Tahir-Gemuruh

Bila bertalu rentak dikalbu

Hasrat yang tersirat semakin kuburu

Bila bergema laungan gempita

Harapan bernyala nadiku berganda


Gemuruh jiwa semangat membara

Dari puncak ingin ke angkasa

Berkalungkan bintang berkelipan

Menyerlah jauh dari yang biasa


Bila bertalu rentak dikalbu

Hasrat yang tersirat semakin kuburu

Bila bergema laungan gempita

Harapan bernyala nadiku berganda


Gemuruh jiwa semangat membara

Dari puncak ingin ke angkasa

Berkalungkan bintang berkelipan

Menyerlah jauh dari yang biasa


Ungkapan ini bukan sekadar bermimpi

Segalanya pasti kan terbukti nanti


Gemuruh jiwa semangat membara

Dari puncak ingin ke angkasa

Berkalungkan bintang berkelipan

Menyerlah jauh dari yang biasa


Gemuruh jiwa semangat membara

Dari puncak ingin ke angkasa

Berkalungkan bintang berkelipan

Menyerlah jauh dari yang biasa

Menyerlah jauh dari yang biasa