UTAR holds 18th Convocation

UTAR held its 18th Convocation at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik of the Perak Campus over the weekend of 8 and 9 March 2014.

A total of 1,587 radiant graduands received their graduation scrolls in three sessions which was held over the two-day period. They graduated from 64 programmes, which comprised 52 Bachelor's Honours programmes, 11 Master's Degree programmes and one PhD programme. The Convocation also celebrated the academic accomplishments of the pioneer batches of graduates from Doctor of Philosophy (Computer Science), Bachelor of Arts (Honours) English Education, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Environmental Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Petrochemical Engineering, and Bachelor of Science (Honours) Logistics and International Shipping.

Graduates and parents at the graduation ceremony held at the Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik

Out of the 1,587 graduands, one received his PhD, 42 received their Masters, 32 graduands received the First Class Honours/Honours Degree with Distinction awards in their respective Bachelors Degree programme and the rest of the graduands received their Bachelors Honours.

The Convocation was declared open by UTAR Council Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik. Presiding at the ceremonies were Chairman of Board of Trustees, UTAR Education Foundation, Tan Sri Dato' Dr Sak Cheng Lum, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato' Dr Chuah Hean Teik and other UTAR Council and members of the Board of Trustees.

The guests-of-honour for the Convocation were Chairman of UTAR International Advisory Council Prof Emeritus Dato' Dr Wang Gungwu for Session 1, Chairman of Zalam Group of Companies Tan Sri Dato' Wong See Wah, Session 2 and Dato' Hon Choon Kim for the final Session 3.

UTAR International Advisory Council Chairman Prof Emeritus Dato' Dr Wang addressing the graduates

Zalam Group of Companies Chairman Tan Sri Dato' Wong

The guest-of-honour of session three Dato' Hon addressing the graduates at the graduation ceremony

Tun Ling congratulated the graduating students and he said, "I am hopeful that in the time you have spent with us, we have taught you well, and that you now possess the necessary preparation and education to excel in your future careers and personal undertakings." Quoting from sayings of the late Nelson Mandela, Tun Ling advised the graduates that they should be dedicated to and passionate about what they do in order to rise above their circumstances and achieve success.

Prof Emeritus Dato' Dr Wang advised the graduating students, "After graduating, whether to seek a life of career or consider furthering your studies, the options are wide open for intellectuals like you. But keep in mind, as you climb the ladder of life further up, you might find yourself reaching another level where the environment and people could be very alien to you. So whatever you set out to achieve, bring along compassion to help you deal with all types of people you encounter and to accompany your drive along life's journey."

Meanwhile, Tan Sri Dato' Wong advised the graduates, "This is a fast changing world, and with the future moving ever faster, you must keep on improving yourselves through continuous learning to stay competitive."

For the session three, Dato' Hon said, "Choose a career you are passionate about. I have always believed that a person's aptitude and interest, when aligned with favourable circumstances or timing, are instrumental in propelling them to unprecedented heights."

With the addition of 1,587 graduates from its 18th Convocation, the number of the University's alumni now stands at 33,957 since its inaugural convocation in 2005.

Doctor of Philosophy graduate Dr Gan Ming Lee (left) receiving his scroll from UTAR Council and Board of Trustees Member Tan Sri Dato' Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh

Prof Chuah posing with graduates

Jubilant graduates throwing their mortar-boards into the air

A musical performance by Biotechnology student Theresa Too Kim Foong

A proud moment for a graduate at his convocation celebration