UTAR held its first in-person convocation amid the Covid-19 pandemic for the graduates of March 2020 batch at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik of UTAR Kampar Campus on 8 and 9 January 2022. A total of 1,421 graduates from 75 programmes comprising 59 Bachelor (Honours) degree, 14 Master’s degree and two PhD programmes attended the ceremony and glowed with pride when they were finally able to celebrate and receive their convocation scrolls after a delayed convocation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to this physical ceremony, e-convocation ceremonies were also held for the graduates.

The ceremony took place in eight sessions and it was held over a two-day period. The Session One and Two of the Convocation were declared open by UTAR Council Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh; Session Three until Eight were declared open by UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum. Also present at the ceremony were UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, UTAR Council and Boards of Trustees members.  

The scroll presenters for Session One and Two were UTAR Council Chairman Tan Sri Ting and UTAR Council Member Ir Academician Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik; Session Three were UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Tan Sri Sak and UTAR Council Member Mr Hew Fen Yee; Session Four were Tan Sri Chuah and Tan Sri Sak; Session Five were UTAR Council Member and Star Media Group Independent Non-Executive Director and Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Chor Chee Heung and UTAR Council Member Datuk Lim Si Cheng; Session Six were UTAR Council Members Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn and Datuk Lee Leck Cheng; Session Seven were Tan Sri Sak and Mr Hew; and Session Eight was Mr Hew.

Speaking at the convocation ceremony, UTAR President Prof Ewe congratulated the graduates and said, “The current future for our graduates will certainly be different from the pre-pandemic era. Digitisation of work processes, online e-commerce and borderless online communications and transactions with technological tools will be a common feature. I believe our graduates are trained and ready to meet the challenges ahead.” He added, “An important indicator of UTAR’s astounding success is its graduate employability rate of about 95% within the first six months of graduation, which significantly reflects the industry’s recognition and reception of the quality of our graduates. These are indicators that UTAR is moving in the right direction. Our student enrolment of about 22,000 students and over 72,000 alumni are testimonies of the growth that has spurred the university over the years. UTAR is 20 years old this year, (2022) and the university’s progress and achievements are made possible because we constantly receive generous support and contributions from philanthropists, individuals, organisations, alumni, the public, staff and students who have enabled the university to progress at such a speed.”

Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) Doctor of Philosophy (Chinese Studies) graduate Dr Foong, Kao Ching I @ Janice Kao, said, “I was busy managing business with my husband before my retirement. When I half-retired, I wanted to do something and I finally decided to pursue my PhD studies in UTAR ICS at the age of 59 in 2013. I carried out a research that focused on Guangdong and Hakka folk customs. It took six years for me to complete my PhD studies. It was really challenging for me to continue my studies at this age, which required a lot of fieldwork. However, I am very happy to be able to complete my PhD studies at the age of 66.”

Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) graduate Dr Lee Yong Hong who is currently working as an academic in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of LKC FES, said, “I have always been interested to become a scientist and conduct research since I was a child. During my consideration to further my tertiary studies after graduating from secondary school, I found out that UTAR offered a programme that I was keen on. This drove me to start my journey at UTAR in 2009 where I pursued my bachelor’s degree in Physics, then continued with the master’s degree in Engineering Science in 2012. I enrolled in the PhD programme in 2017. My PhD research focused on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. Since I am an academic at the university, I need to enrich my professional knowledge in various fields and continue learning.”

Faculty of Science (FSc) Master of Science graduate Fawiena Amiza binti Norazmi Sham said, “I have been working at Top Glove’s R&D Centre since 2017. I continued my master’s studies after receiving a scholarship from Top Glove. I am happy and glad to complete my studies under this supportive scholarship.”

Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FAS) Master of Philosophy (Social Science) graduate K. Amutha, said, “I did my degree in English Education and I am currently working as a teacher. I was able to learn various teaching skills in my degree programme. My master’s degree, however, was purely a research-based programme and it equipped me with a lot of research skills. The knowledge that I received from both my undergraduate and postgraduate programmes helped me in my job to analyse my students’ understanding in learning.”

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (Honours) graduate Liew Li Chun said, “I am currently working as a Chinese medicine practitioner and branch manager at YC TCM. The strong theoretical knowledge and soft skills I gained at UTAR helped me to perform well in my career.” He advised the juniors to enjoy the campus life and appreciate the chances given by the university to develop their soft skills and knowledge. “Be ready to face the reality and set your goal to succeed in your life,” he advised.

Another graduate from FMHS, also a Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (Honours) student Kheu Siek Chin said, “The TCM programme in UTAR enabled me to learn the knowledge of Chinese and Western medicine comprehensively, and I am also fortunate to be able to do an internship in China to broaden my horizons. The theoretical and practical knowledge that I gained at UTAR helped me well in my job as a TCM practitioner. The curriculum and learning systems of the University allow students to gradually and deeply understand the profoundness of TCM. In addition, internships and apprenticeships laid down a strong foundation for the students.” She added, “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my parents and family members for their unconditional support; thank you to my friends and classmates for giving me a memorable campus life, and teachers for their valuable teachings. Without them, I would not be what I am today.”

FAS Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Public Relations graduate, Cathryn Liew Yun Qi said, “UTAR equipped me with knowledge and skills. During my study at UTAR, I have learned so much. My tutors and lecturers have always challenged me to turn my knowledge into practical actions. Therefore, I am able to apply a different set of skills in various challenges that I face in my job.” She added, “UTAR provided us with a really good environment for learning. It also provided access to facilities and various databases. This was very helpful because plenty of students from UTAR come from average income families. People here are more down to earth, especially the students who live in Kampar. We learned to help each other whenever we are far from home. This helped us to build our social skills and form a strong network of friendship.”

Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) Entrepreneurship graduate, Ramlan Najimun Nisha Bibi binti Salim said, “UTAR provided its students with well-structured curriculum and equipped them with both soft skills and hard skills. I would like to thank my parents for their constant support, my lecturers for their endless guidance and UTAR for giving me the opportunity to be equipped with the knowledge and practical skills needed for my future career. I wish everyone all the very best in their career and life.” Ramlan currently works as a Sales Executive at Esri Malaysia.

This is the first in-person convocation ceremony held by UTAR amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Due to strict Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) applied in conducting the ceremony during the Covid -19 pandemic, each graduate was only allowed to bring a maximum of two (2) parents/guests to attend the convocation ceremony.

Only fully-vaccinated persons were allowed to participate in the convocation ceremony. Persons entering the campus were required to show to the security officer at the entrance of the campus evidence of their fully-vaccinated status in their MySejahtera app.

All persons entering the campus were required to scan the MySejahtera app. Health checks were conducted for all persons. Those with a body temperature of 37.5 degree Celcius and above were not allowed to enter the campus.

Wearing of face mask was made compulsory at all times on campus including washrooms, concourse areas and other common areas. Physical distancing was observed at all times.

In addition to this ceremony, UTAR will also host a convocation ceremony for the graduates of August 2020, March 2021 and August 2021 batches on 22 and 23 January 2022, 19 and 20 February 2022 and 3 to 6 March 2022 respectively.