Understanding Reform and the Universiti Sains Malaysia Agenda is an introductory discussion on the APEX University reform initiative. The discussion divides into two broad sections: socio-economic context and cultural-pedagogical context of reform. The essential argument of the monogoraph is that to understand how the university can attain positional advantage while at the same time mantain a commitment to its ethical and moral values requires a reformulation and articulation of the university project with consideration of its economic and cultural context within globalization.