The Institute of Malaysian and International Studies (IKMAS), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) focuses on multidisciplinary social science research that is related to the theme of globalization and social transformation. Since its establishment in 1995, the institute has undertaken several collegial book research projects that have been published. These include Capturing Globalization, edited by J.H. Mittleman and Norani Othman (London: Routledge, 2001); Malaysia Menangani Globalisasi: Peserta atau Mangsa? edited by Norani Othman and Sumit Mandal (Bangi: Penerbit UKM, 2000); Globalization, Culture and Inequalities: In Honour of the Late Ishak Shari, edited by Abdul Rahman Embong (Bangi: Penerbit UKM, 2004); The Emerging East Asian Community: Security and Economic Issues, edited by Lee Poh Ping, Tham Siew Yean and George T. Yu (Bangi: Penerbit UKM, 2006). The latest in the series of IKMAS books are Globalization and National Autonomy: The Experience of Malaysia, edited by Joan M. Nelson, Jacob Meerman and Abdul Rahman Embong (IKMAS and ISEAS: Singapore, 2008); Community in ASEAN: Ideas and Practices, edited by Lee Poh Ping, Tham Siew Yean and Norani Othman (Bangi: Penerbit UKM, 2008); and Malaysia at a Crossroads: Can We Make the Transition? edited by Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham Siew Yean (Bangi: Penerbit UKM, 2011).

This book is also based on a collegial research project that examined challenges faced by the internationalization of higher education in Malaysia. As in all collegial projects, it is multidisciplinary in its composition. The research team consisted of research fellows from IKMAS as well as faculty members from the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Economics and Business, UKM. The project was undertaken to complement an earlier project on higher education, namely the impact of cross-border higher education in Malaysia. IKMAS obtained a Research University Grant in 2008 to follow up on the earlier study by examining the challenges faced by the different stakeholders who are engaged in the internationalization process.