Vice Chancellor

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak started his professional career at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) as a Tutor in 1985. Over the years, through his diligent involvement in the progress of UUM and his determination to excel in whatever he did, he moved up the academic and administrative ladder till he reached the topmost rung and was appointed the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of UUM in June 2010. He served as the VC of UUM for eight years, till August 2018. In his capacity as the VC of UUM, he was instrumental in redefining the role of UUM and marshalling its efforts towards becoming an Eminent Management University in Malaysia. Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak played a key role in advancing UUM to become a 5-star university based on the SETARA and MYRA ratings. Additionally, he also successfully transformed UUM to be placed among the six best Malaysian public universities in the QS Asia and World Ranking.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak is a Professor of Political Science and Leadership at UUM. He obtained his PhD in Political Sociology from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom in 1999. Prior to that, he received his MA in Politics from the University of York, United Kingdom in 1987. In 2013, he attended the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the Harvard Business School, Harvard University, Boston, USA.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa is a well-known scholar and a notable expert on Malaysian and Southeast Asian politics. He has published extensively in his area of expertise. Among his publications is the well-received book entitled, “The Politics of Bangsa Malaysia” (2014), which has been translated into the Indonesian, Malay, and Japanese languages. His earlier book, published in 2006, entitled “Politik dan Pemerintahan Negara” (Politics and State Governance), is on the list of prescribed texts for students majoring in political science at institutions of higher learning in Malaysia.

Apart from his main interest in political science and international affairs, Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has acquired considerable expertise in several other areas, namely, ethnicity and nationalism; leadership and management; organizational behavior; political and economic risk analysis.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak was the first Malaysian to be appointed as a CMI Companion, the most senior grade of membership, which is awarded by invitation only. This rare honor had accorded him for his prodigious contribution, underscoring his tenacity of purpose, towards transforming UUM into the best management university in Malaysia. This prestigious position was conferred upon him in 2017 by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), an accredited professional institution for management, based in London. He also sits on the Board of the Regional Chapter of CMI Malaysia. He has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport since his appointment to the post in December 2011.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak was appointed Chairman of the Malaysian Examinations Council in 2016 by His Majesty the Yang Di Pertuan Agong XIV, The King of Malaysia. Another accolade, among the many that Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has received in his long and distinguished career, is the Honorary PhD degree in Education Leadership from Rajabhat University, Bangkok. The honor was formally conferred by The King of Thailand.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has also served as Visiting Professor at the University of Paris and the University of Le Harve, France, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. He has also served as Visiting Professor at several universities in Indonesia. Before his appointment as the Vice-Chancellor of UUM, he held numerous key positions at the university. Among these were Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Dean of the School of International Studies, Director of the International Office, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs). He was also one of the founding members of the National Council of Professors, Malaysia (MPN) and now serve as its Deputy Chairman since 2020. He has also served as a senior Professor in Management, Leadership and Politics at UUMKL Campus.

Professor Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has just retired as the Director General at the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Higher Education in January 2021. He spent almost one year in the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia as the Director General. Upon retirement he served at City University Malaysia and Perdana University Malaysia as the Vice Chancellor. With 35 years of experience in both public and private universities and having held various management positions, Prof. Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Ishak has vast experience in managing issues and challenges pertaining to higher education institutions at both local and international arena. Now, Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Seri Dr. Mohamed Mustafa Bin Ishak have been appointed as the Vice Chancellor/Rector of Innovative University College Malaysia beginning 1th July 2024.