China students and alumni gather online with UTAR President

As part of its effort to foster networking and connect with international students and the alumni community, UTAR Department of Alumni Relations and Placement, Department of International Student Services and UTAR Alumni Association of Malaysia jointly organised the “International China Alumni and China Students Gathering with President 2021” via Zoom on 18 September 2021.

In his welcome remarks, UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat expressed his gratitude to all China students and alumni for attending the event. He mentioned that although there was a shift in teaching and learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he was grateful that many staff and students had continued to work hard and learn with online tools.

He shared the joint efforts and collaboration between UTAR and China universities and institutions. Furthermore, he shared the efforts done by the Chinese Medicine team which was led by UTAR Department of Chinese Medicine Head-cum-CMEC President Assoc Prof Dr Te Kian Keong to fight against the pandemic. He mentioned that the recent effort of the team was to provide Chinese Medicine consultation services for Covid-19 patients at the PKRC (Pusat Kuarantin & Rawatan COVID-19 Berisiko Rendah). He highlighted that this was the first Chinese Medicine team to join the collaborative effort to fight against the Covid-19 virus outside China.

He also mentioned that, since March last year, UTAR has organised more than 500 webinars online, attracting 900,000 participants. The webinar also included a series of talks on Chinese culture. “Although the pandemic is still going on, our foreign students studying at UTAR are still increasing. According to the existing data, there are about 459 students from China, and this number has been increasing. In October this year, there were still many who applied to study at UTAR. We welcome everyone to become a part of the University. In the future, I hope that we can have closer cooperation with students, graduates and teachers from China,” he said. 

The event was also graced by former president of UTAR, Ir Academician Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik who is presently the President of ASEAN Academy of Science and Technology (AAET). He wished everyone a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival and urged them to keep good health, especially during this pandemic. He also expressed his hope to see the alumni and students do their best for their alma mater, contributing towards the excellence of the University.

Also delivering a speech at the event was UTAR Alumni Association of Malaysia (UAAM) President Simon Chong Weng Yeap. He said, “UAAM was set up in 2010. The purpose of having the alumni association is to reconnect all our friends from UTAR in Malaysia and around the globe. We are happy to see every one of you. No matter where we are, we are still connected with the University. Through this association, we will bring even more benefits while you are studying at UTAR or even working outside of UTAR. We hope to reconnect with you all to create this network, helping one another even after you graduate.” 

He expressed his excitement to meet the China students and alumni through the online gathering. He also said, “Always remember not to forget our University. I am really proud of UTAR’s achievement. Now the University is not just an academic institution, it is going to contribute back to society through this project called UTAR Hospital.” He added that alumni will play out a part in the development of the University as a whole. 

A video was also played during the event, showing the progression of works on UTAR Hospital. The hospital, which is situated in Kampar, will offer quality and affordable medical and health services in both Western Medicine and Traditional and Complementary Medicine including Chinese, Ayurvedic and Traditional Malay Medicine. The hospital will also provide clinical training for UTAR medical students. “UTAR Hospital will consist of 250 beds for Western Medicine and 100 beds for TCM. The hospital will be the second hospital in Malaysia with TCM beds,” said Prof Ewe.

UTAR Hospital is set to be a not-for-profit hospital. Donations for the construction of the UTAR Hospital are welcomed and further information can be referred here.

The event continued with a session that discussed how to further enhance the connection and explore new opportunities for collaboration. The event then wrapped up with a group photo session.