Alumni Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner

UTAR Student Representative Council (SRC) together with the Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) organised the “Alumni Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner 2017” on 17 February 2017 at the Sungai Long Campus.

Present at the event were UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Vice Presidents Prof Ewe Hong Tat, Prof Lee Sze Wei and Prof Choong Chee Keong, Registrar Yim Lin Heng, Alumni Association President Koh Fook Huat, Chancellery Head Lim Swea Jen, DARP Head Foo Wai Wai, Department of Student Affairs (Sungai Long Campus) Head Loh Nyuk Leung, Organising Chairperson Yap Yuan Ping, alumni, faculty members, administrative staff, SRC members and students.

At his opening speech, Prof Chuah said, “UTAR has more than 48,000 alumni thus far. This reunion dinner is very meaningful as it gathers the UTAR alumni to catch up with one another and allows the university to update the alumni on its latest developments.” Highlighting some recent achievements, Prof Chuah enthused, “I am proud to inform you that our 14-year-old university has become one of the leading higher learning institutes in Malaysia. Out of the many local and private varsities, UTAR ranks third for the most-cited university publications in Malaysia.”

With UTAR’s founding principle of “by the people, for the people”, Prof Chuah emphasised the university’s continuous efforts in giving back to society. He said, “We send our deepest appreciation to everyone who believes in UTAR and has supported the university in any shape or form. In return, UTAR has been actively working on many meaningful projects. Among them are ‘The Gift of Eyesight’ which gives free eye screening and glasses to needy students, and the ‘Miracle Baby Programme’ which provides treatment for children with congenital heart disease.”

“We are currently raising funds through various activities to set up our own hospital in Kampar. The hospital will offer affordable medical and health services to benefit people from all walks of life. Besides that, this project will enable the university to train medical students to cater to the shortage of medical specialists in the country. With this, I would like to encourage our alumni to contribute to this good cause,” said the president.

In view of the declining number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students in schools, Prof Chuah said, “UTAR is glad to be a part of the force in raising awareness on the importance of STEM education. We have been supporting the government in promoting STEM education through events such as the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair (KLESF) which attracted some 54,000 visitors last year. Following this achievement, UTAR is honoured to host the Asian Science Camp (ASC) 2017 in Malaysia at UTAR Kampar Campus this August. ASC 2017 will see youths from some 29 Asian countries as well as Nobel laureates, top scientists and technologists convening to participate in science-related activities.”

Speaking on behalf of the organising committee, Yap thanked the alumni and guests for their presence at the reunion dinner. “I would like to urge all the UTAR club and society leaders to organise similar events to encourage extracurricular activities among students. Collaborations among the clubs and societies can create platforms for students to learn new things, showcase talents and meet peers from different backgrounds.”

The reunion dinner encompassed a wide range of performances and activities such as Lao Sheng, Lion Dance, Wushu, Flag Dancing and lucky draws. At the event, DARP also introduced some of the activities and programmes for alumni, including the upcoming alumni trip to Bali, Alumni Charity Dinner, Amazing Race 2017 and UTAR Career Day. For more information, visit DARP official website at https://www.utar.edu.my/darp/.

Prof Chuah interacting with some international postgraduates and alumni

Lion dance at the opening ceremony

Prof Chuah speaking to the alumni

The reunion dinner commenced with Lao Sheng

Alumni enjoying the feast

Wushu performance

 Yap (second from left) presenting a lucky draw gift to a winner

SRC members greeting the audience a happy Chinese New Year

The organising committee