It was a jubilant occasion for 2,301 graduates of UTAR when they received their respective postgraduate and undergraduate degrees at UTAR’s March 2022 Convocation. The graduates celebrated their academic achievement together with dignitaries, lecturers and staff from UTAR at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik in Kampar Campus from 25 to 27 March 2022. The graduation ceremony was a three-day celebration of the graduands’ perseverance, determination and dedication to the ideals of UTAR.

A total of 2,301 graduands from 99 programmes comprising 65 Bachelor (Honours) degree, 25 Master’s degree and nine PhD programmes, received their convocation scrolls in eleven sessions held over the three-day period.

The Convocation also celebrated the academic accomplishments of the pioneer batches of graduates from the programmes of Master of Real Estate Development from the Faculty of Accountancy and Management and Master of Strategic Communication from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science.

The Session One, Two and Three of the Convocation were declared open by UTAR Council Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr Ting Chew Peh; Session Four and Five were declared open by UTAR Council Member and UTAR Hospital Board Chairman Ir Academician Emeritus Prof Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik; Session Six and Seven were declared open by UTAR Council Member Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan; Session Eight and Nine were declared open by Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Chuah; and Session 10 and 11 were declared open by UTAR Council Member Dato’ Seri Ong.

Also present at the ceremony were UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat and UTAR Education Foundation Board of Trustees Member Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Lee Oi Hian and UTAR Council Member Hew Fen Yee.

In his convocation address, Prof Ewe congratulated the graduands and inspired them to keep learning. He said, “With technology becoming more advanced and sophisticated: augmented and virtual reality, big data, IoT, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and many more; a future that we cannot imagine today might be possible tomorrow. With growth mindset, you have to keep learning to adapt to the speed and challenges of this fast-changing global landscape. Learning doesn’t stop when you graduate. In fact, real learning begins after you leave the university. The world has many life lessons to teach you. Learn it well to make the world a better place.”

Faculty of Accountancy and Management (FAM) Doctor of Philosophy graduate Dr Farah Waheeda binti Jalaludin, who is currently working as an Assistant Professor in FAM enthused, “UTAR is indeed a great place for me to complete my PhD. Having experience in conducting research during my studies at UTAR has helped me tremendously in performing my duty as a lecturer now. The staff and lecturers in UTAR were very welcoming and I can count on my friends to support me throughout my journey. This unique experience has taught me to always be independent, have courage, and be kind. I believe that if I can make it there, I can make it anywhere. No matter how hard things might seem, do not give up and always ask for help. That is what I did. There are many wonderful people with specific experience and knowledge who are more than willing to help. As for me, I am lucky to be coached and guided in my thesis writing, I had different people helping me on different chapters. It shows that there are many experts in UTAR. You only have to ask.”

Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering Science (LKC FES) Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) graduate Dr Danny Ng Wee Kiat, who is also working as an Assistant Professor at UTAR said, “I completed my degree in Electronic Engineering and Master of Engineering Science before taking up my PhD studies. I took up PhD in Engineering after the completion of my master’s studies under Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Goh Sing Yau from the department of Mechanical and Material Engineering, LKC FES. I am involved in a project related to brain computer interface for my research studies. I was able to join a research group that was composed of experts from medical and engineering backgrounds; that is important to gain cross-discipline experience, working with people in different fields.”

Faculty of Arts and Social Science Master of Strategic Communication graduate Lim Yi Thing enthused, “I’m currently working as a primary school teacher at SJKC Gunung Rapat. Master’s degree provided a chance for me to improve further not only in language skills but also in strategic planning skills. Before obtaining my master’s degree, I graduated as an Advertising graduate from UTAR. During my study, I worked as a part-time photographer and videographer. I only worked on weekends so my job did not clash with my classes. After obtaining my degree, I failed to look for the right job many times. When the pandemic hit, the production industry stopped recruiting employees so I struggled to look for a different job. Instead of wasting my time feeling uncertain, I decided to take up a master’s degree.”

Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) Bachelor of Information Technology (Honours) Computer Engineering graduate Mohd Wafi Nazrul Adam bin Mohd Ridhwan Oxley Adam said, “I started working as a graduate software test engineer at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, Kuala Lumpur about two weeks after I completed my final semester. My job role was to develop automated tests and to work in an international Scrum team to deliver a high-quality application quickly through continuous feedback. While working with a team where out-of-the-box thinking is greatly appreciated, the studies I’ve done at UTAR has also tremendously helped me with problem-solving skills. It equipped me with the latest technical knowledge to tackle any hurdles thrown at me during the development process with ease. The time management skill I’ve nurtured throughout my degree studies has also helped me adapt to a fast-paced working environment much more easily. The soft skills that I’ve acquired and honed during my days in UTAR have also helped me establish a healthy working relationship with team members as many of us in the team come from different cultural backgrounds. When I first joined the team, I had to pick up a lot of new things to learn but thanks to the subjects where I am often exposed to new technical information pretty much every semester, I was able to soak in the information as quickly as possible albeit with a few obstacles here and there.”

Faculty of Medicine and Health Science (FMHS) Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery graduate Chen Yit Hern, “I’m currently employed under KKM. Being a UTAR graduate was helpful in my career. UTAR’s examinations and lecturers have fully prepared us to face the real world. I’m a house officer in Hospital Melaka. I finished my SPM with 7A+ and 2 A’s at SMK Seri Perling in Johor Bahru. After that, I pursued my Foundation in science at UTAR in 2015. Upon completing my Foundation studies, I pursued an MBBS degree at UTAR and graduated last year in 2021. Overall, UTAR provided me with lots of practical experiences. It covered all of the postings including psychiatry, radiology, anaesthesiology and even rehab and primary care. A lot of medical schools do not even have these postings in their syllabus and this makes them more vulnerable and unexposed to the broad medical field.”

Following the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the pandemic, all graduates attending the convocation ceremony had to do the RTK-Antigen Test and fill in a health declaration form to be submitted before attending the physical ceremony on campus. All University staff on duty for the convocation as well as all guests of graduates were also required to do the RTK-Antigen Test before attending the convocation.

All persons entering the campus were required to scan the MySejahtera app and temperature scans were done on everyone at the entry point of the convocation. SOPs were strictly observed throughout the ceremony including the wearing of face mask, sanitising and physical distancing.  The convocation hall was sanitized after each convocation session with particular attention to the chairs and the toilets.