During the 1990s a rising delivery method gaining popularity and frequently discussed was the Open and Distance Education concept.

METEOR was headed by Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Sanusi Ahmad, who later on became the first Vice-Chancellor of Open University Malaysia.

The action taken by the Minister of Education, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, resulted in the founding of Open University Malaysia (OUM) in August 2000.

[10] The first chancellor was the late Endon Mahmood (the wife of fifth Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi) who was appointed on 16 December 2004.

[11] The current pro-chancellor is Tan Sri Azman Hashim who is also the executive chairman of Arab-Malaysian Corporation Berhad.