On 15 May 2020, UTAR officially welcomed its second batch of freshmen for the year 2020 at both Kampar and Sungai Long Campuses in a first-ever e-orientation programme, which was delivered completely online.

The e-orientation aimed to facilitate the registration of new students into the university and to provide them with an ideal platform to get familiarised with the university’s rules and regulations. The e-orientation programme also connected the university’s academicians, support staff and students who were unable to attend the orientation in person due to the current conditional MCO.

Through the e-orientation programme, UTAR also established a personalised interaction with the freshers by answering their queries, holding virtual meetings as well as question-and-answer sessions. Among the topics covered throughout the e-orientation programme included an overview of the online digital learning journey, an introduction to academic experience, campus life and support services, and briefing on National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loans.

As part of the e-orientation programme for May 2020 intake, UTAR Department of Student Affairs (DSA) and UTAR Software Development and Multimedia Services Centre successfully organised a cyber mass call at both Sungai Long and Kampar Campuses on 28 May 2020 virtually. The mass call was specially designed for new students to meet the University President, the senior officials as well as the deans and deputy deans.

This cyber mass call programme was streamed from the university in both campuses and it recorded more than 890 online participants, including freshmen and their parents as well as the university’s staff and students.

In his welcome speech at the mass call, Prof Ewe warmly welcomed all the freshmen and introduced UTAR as a place full of opportunities which will not only enrich their lives as undergraduates but also provide them with valuable life experiences. In conjunction with the cyber mass call, Prof Ewe also delivered a talk titled “Your Academic Journey in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era”.

Before kick-starting his virtual talk, he enthused, “I am delighted to see the spirit shown by all staff of UTAR and this e-orientation programme is an awesome platform for our new students. We look forward to welcoming all our students to the campuses soon.”

In his talk, Prof Ewe introduced the freshers to the vision and mission of UTAR. He explained that UTAR, guided by its vision to be a global university of educational excellence, is highly reputed as one of the fastest-growing private higher education institutions in the country. Apart from introducing vision and mission, Prof Ewe also urged the new students to embrace the six UTAR philosophical values of Virtue and Morality, Knowledge and Intellect, Physical and Mental Health, Sociality and Humanitarianism, Aesthetics and Harmony, and Creativity and Innovation. He advised the new students to be ethical, professional, sociable, active in building their human network, creative, be involved in sports and be innovative in order to gain a complete university experience.

In addition to that, Prof Ewe also touched on the importance of human networking and extracurricular activities. He said, “Besides performing academically, students should also participate in extracurricular activities organised by student clubs and societies in order to lead a balanced academic life and also to become an all-rounder. Do take the opportunity to build networks with your seniors, lecturers and students from other faculties, states and even other countries. Hard work, determination, full concentration and self-discipline are the key secrets to earn a successful university experience.”

Furthermore, Prof Ewe’s speech also focused on the aspects of the technology revolution and its roles in future education. He said as we embarked on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology plays a central role in nearly all aspects of people’s lives. Therefore, in order to prepare the talent needed for the digital economy, education must adapt fast as the demand for digital skills is growing and evolving.

Prof Ewe also emphasised on the importance of higher-order thinking skills, multiple intelligences and creativity among university students to further improve and equip themselves with the 21st-century skills. He said the key to staying competitive in this new era of innovation is the convergence of technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics, big data analytics, brain connectome, quantum computing, 5G and etcetera. He also stressed that the Fourth Industrial Revolution needs knowledge workers with a growth mindset and empathy.

Additionally, Prof Ewe also presented the freshers with knowledge economy and how it has brought changes to the way we work and live. He explained, “Knowledge economy is an economy in which the production of products and services is based mainly upon knowledge-intensive activities.” He added, “In a knowledge economy, a large portion of economic growth and employment is a result of knowledge-intensive activities and the knowledge-intensive activity involves the collection, analysis and synthesis of information. In order to attain success in a knowledge economy, it requires a commitment of both workers and firms to continually learn and to increase their skills and expertise, which will foster innovation.” The talk also touched on the innovation ecosystems and the pace of innovation substitution.

Student Representative Council (SRC) of Kampar Campus 2019/2020 Chairperson Lam Jeen Yee welcomed the new students and shared valuable advice, “Always maintain a positive attitude and emphasise the importance of good attitude as being the key to attaining a successful university life. In addition to that, I hope freshers can adapt to the new norms and challenges that the world is facing now and change the challenges into opportunities to experience greater experience.”

Student Representative Council (SRC) of Sungai Long Campus 2019/2020 Chairperson Leo Cheong Zhe encouraged students to join communities different than their own, as well as to understand and respect other cultures. He said, “We are all UTARians, Malaysians and humans. No separation based on skin colours. In UTAR, we are always one for all and all for one. Even the weak become strong when they are united.”

Also joining the cyber mass call were UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Yow Ho Kwang, UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, UTAR Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ts Dr Faidz bin Abd Rahman, Dean of Faculty of Information and Communication Technology Assoc Prof Ts Dr Liew Soung Yue, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Science Dr Lee Lai Meng, Dean of Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science Prof Ir Dr Goi Bok Min, Dean of Faculty of Creative Industries Dr David Tneh Cheng Eng, Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology Assoc Prof Dr Yap Vooi Voon, Dean of Faculty of Business and Finance Dr Au Yong Hui Nee, Dean of Institute of Chinese Studies Assoc Prof Dr Chong Siou Wei, Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng, Dean of Faculty of Accountancy and Management Dr Sia Bee Chuan, Director of Centre for Foundation Studies of Sungai Long Campus Melissa Stefanie Netto and Director of Centre for Foundation Studies of Kampar Campus Ts Tan Lee Siew.