The Right Livelihood College

January 8th, 2009

Global "Alternative Nobel Prize" Hub and Incubator established in Malaysia
 
Malaysia's leading University, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has been selected to host the Right Livelihood College, which brings together all the Recipients of the Right Livelihood Award.
 
"There are now 133 Right Livelihood Award Laureates from 57 countries - 133 experts and leaders whose pioneering knowledge can help change the world for the better. This educational initiative will offer programmes that will support our Laureates in passing their knowledge and skills to a new generation", Jakob von Uexkull, Founder and Chairman of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, announced in Penang.
 
This initiative is made possible thanks to the cooperation of the Universiti Sains Malaysia, which has kindly and generously offered to host the global Secretariat. "We resonate with USM", von Uexkull continued, "and its commitment to transforming higher education for a Sustainable Tomorrow."

The USM has the distinction of being the first APEX (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) university in Malaysia committed to this aim.
 
Von Uexkull also announced that the Director of the College would be Professor Anwar Fazal, a 1982 Recipient of the Right Livelihood Award and a member of its Jury. He will concurrently hold the position of Professor at the USM Center for Public Policy and International Studies (CenPris), which is headed by former Ambassador Azhari Karim.
 
Professor Dzulkifli Razak, Vice Chancellor of USM, said that USM was honored to be selected to be the global hub and to have Anwar Fazal on the team. He stated USM would be fully supportive of this venture which is aimed at education, scientific research, public understanding and practical activities which will:

• contribute to global ecological balance,
• aim to eliminating material and spiritual poverty,
• contribute to lasting peace and justice in the world

 
The primary goal of the new Right Livelihood College (RLC) will be to harness and spread the knowledge and experience of the outstanding personalities, organizations and unique best practices of the Laureates of the Right Livelihood Award. In particular, the RLC will:

1. make the knowledge of Laureates accessible to all, the general public as well as individuals and select groups with the potential to make the "winning ideas" of Laureates succeed and multiply,
2. foster the injection of external know-how into Award Recipients' projects that need it most to develop and flourish effectively and sustainably for experiential learning,
3. connect the global community of Award Recipients to help release synergies, multiply tested know-how and create the critical mass to help bring their common goals forward,
4. provide a 'hub' and an incubator for promoting and multiplying the most successful solutions to urgent global problems through the development of information, communications and education activities including web based learning materials, meetings, networking and an internship and research scholarship programme,
5. to actively link with the most excellent like-minded institutions that foster programmes that resonate with the goals of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, as well as with other top educational institutions.

 
The Director of the College, Professor Anwar Fazal stated that the initiative is specifically planning to include lectures by Laureates, scholarships and internships, international courses, "The Alternative Nobel Prize" series of books, documentary
films, "days of action" series to promote such United Nations days as World Biodiversity Day, World Peace Day and World Health Day.
The Penang Secretariat will also spearhead upscaling of such programmes with relevant institutions all over the world. Discussions are already being held with partners in Africa, Europe and Latin America.
 
 
Notes:

Further information on the Universiti Sains Malaysia can
be found on www.usm.my.