Prof. Dr. Hj. Wan Muhammad Wan Kadir, a native of Kelantan was serious, strict and responsible. He was well liked and respected by the staff because of his warmth. He also tried his best to help the staff who were having problems. His tenure as the Principal was for the period of 1979 to 1981.

Kedah-born Tuan Haji Ali Nyak Saad, was entrusted to lead the management team of YS-ITM from 1981-1994. A man of few words, he was fatherly and quite strict in performing his duties and responsibilities. Even though many viewed him as a serious person, they had good rapport with him. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to those who need it. Patience was his virtue and he was ever ready to guide those under his supervision. It was during his time that UiTM Cawangan Sabah moved to its permanent campus at Kuala Menggatal. The move,however, was plagued by obstacles especially where infrastructure, transport, water and power supply were concerned. Nevertheless, he and his team did not lose hope and together they set a strong foundation on which the university today strives. A unique ability that Tuan Haji Nyak Saad possessed was his ability to converse in Mandarin which set him apart from his predecessors.

Associate Professor Hj. Shafie Mehad , also a Kedahan was the Principal of YS-ITM from 1984-1988. He was meticulous and did not leave any stone unturned when he performed his duty. An example of his meticulousness was the fact that he would use three different knives to peel an apple and eat it. One knife was for peeling the skin, one for splitting the flesh and one for digging out the seeds. The same applied to his way of performing his duty as the Principal. Every last detail was scrutinized and given proper attention. This resulted in a very systematic way of doing things. His main agendum was the cleanliness of the campus surroundings. His concern with hygiene was further exemplified when he himself flushed toilets that had been left dirty by irresponsible users when he conducted spot checks on the hostels. He got along well with the staff for he was a cheerful individual. A special characteristic was that he was a philosopher and his philosophy had permeated many a discussion of his time.

Associate Professor Hj. Abaid Wan Ismail performed his duty as the Principal from 1988-1990. He was known as being quiet and strict. Yet, his relationship with the staff was good, regardless of what levels they were. He performed his duty to the best of his ability and with the utmost sense of responsibility. Like his previous two predecessors, he was also a Kedahan.

A native of Terengganu, Associate Professor Hj. Baharuddin Ismail held the post of Principal from1990-1995. He was very approachable and likeable. As such, the staff found it comfortable to discuss any issue with him. He was also a man of hygiene. In performing his duty, he preferred an informal approach to the extent that sometimes, discussions of campus matters with heads of department were held over a cup of coffee at a restaurant. The campus developed further during his time. Phase 3 which comprised an academic block, an office block, a library and classes were completed. Consequently, the centre of operations for the campus moved from the Student Recreation Centre to this new phase.

From the land of Datuk Maharaja Lela came Associate Professor Zainuddin Osman, who was in office from telah memegang jawatan1995 – 1999. It was then that the title of the Chief Executive was changed to Provost. He was extremely committed to the physical and academic development of ITM Cawangan Sabah. Just like his hobbies which were fishing and rearing cats, he projected an image of a happy-go-lucky person who enjoyed a good laugh whenever possible. On the other hand, when it came to work, he was a no nonsense kind of man and was known for his strictness when dealing with the staff and students. A tragedy befell ITM Cawangan Sabah during his time in the form of a tropical storm that left major damages in its wake. Sabah was hit by the Gregg storm on the Boxing Day of 1996 which left a trail of destruction never before seen in this state. As if nature had not been satisfied with Gregg, the campus had to fight off a bush fire in 1998. Through it all, ITM Cawangan Sabah under his leadership rose from the ashes and rebuilt itself to become what it was today. There were times when classes were held in all kinds of odd places due to the damage to the buildings but the courage and perseverance of its population, students and staff alike, helped the campus to pull through and continue to stand as the pioneer in higher education. Associate Professor Zainuddin Osman was also greatly concerned with the cleanliness of the campus surroundings as well as maintaining a cheerful front. His contribution which has had a great significance until today was the opening of the UiTM Tawau Campus.

Associate Professor Dr. Hj. Nasuddin Othman, a son of Johor led ITM/UiTM Cawangan Sabah for two years, from 1999 – 2000. Known for being very down to earth and low profiled, he made his way into the heart of every campus citizen. Being trained in the field of planting management, he introduced the Diploma in Planting Management (DPIM) course in UiTM Cawangan Sabah. This move was in line with the State’s aspiration to develop its agriculture -based industry. On a lighter but strange note, it was the talk of the campus that when he first arrived and was staying at the UiTM Guest House, Dr Haji Nasuddin had some strange encounters of the supernatural kind. How far this story was true could only be verified by the Associate Professor but we hope that it has added colour to his stay here in Sabah. However, an encounter of the real kind occurred on 31 October 1999 when a landslide covered the only road leading up to the main buildings of UiTM Sabah. Measures were quickly taken to clear the heap of soil but before the clean up was over, the staff and students of UiTM Sabah had once again stood the test of time. The exams which were going on were not postponed. Lecturers were seen walking up the hill for quite a distance carrying the question papers with them. It was yet another proof that the spirit of UiTM Sabah’s staff remained at its highest peak even in the face of adversity.

Prof. Dr. Abdullah Mohd. Said who hails from Perak was Campus Director of UiTM Sabah from 2000 till 2002. A cheerful person, he administered the campus along the concept of leadership within the organisation. Prof. Dr. Abdullah possessed the ability to spontaneously recite a quatrain while presenting a speech, a skill that others found difficult to emulate.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hj. Mohd Shukri Hj. Omar who was born in Kelantan, served as Campus Director of UiTM Sabah from December 2002 until July 2005. He carried out his duties in a strict and disciplined manner and had a vision of transforming UiTM Sabah into the best branch campus in Malaysia. He made the development of the campus infrastructure a top priority and ensured that the facilities provided to students and staff were upgraded. During his tenure as Campus Director, a section of the buildings in Phase 2 and the college in Phase 3 were evacuated as they were found to be unsafe for occupation. He was able to oversee/overcome this problem successfully.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Worran Hj. Kabul was born in Lahat Datu, Sabah. On 1 July 2006, he was appointed Director of UiTM Sabah. His immediate concern is to overcome the problems faced by the campus with regard to the infrastructure. Work is in progress and the physical development of the campus is becoming apparent.