UTAR Registrar Yim Lin Heng leading the Guest of Honour procession.
Lim Yook Sai, who has earned his Bachelor of Science in Construction Management, says he wants to continue to a master’s degree. Lim, 70 years old with three grandchildren and who was a former inspector of works in construction, said, “It has always been my dream to have a degree but I had to put this off due to family commitments.”
Lim was one of the 2,470 graduates who received their scrolls at the 22nd UTAR Convocation held at the Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik in UTAR Kampar Campus from 25 to 27 March 2016. They received their convocation scrolls in four sessions and graduated from 77 programmes comprising 61 Bachelor Honours degrees, 14 Master’s degrees, and two PhDs.
Bachelor of Science (Hons) Construction Management graduate Lim (right) receiving the scroll from Tan Sri Fong.
The convocation also celebrated the academic accomplishments of the pioneer batches of graduates from the following two programmes: Master of Engineering (Electrical) from the Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science and Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Digital Animation from the Faculty of Creative Industries.
Of the 2,470 graduands, three received their PhDs, 52 received their Master’s degrees, and 34 received their Bachelor Honours with Distinction, while the rest received their Bachelor Honours with Merit and Bachelor Honours degree.
UTAR 22nd Convocation in Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.
The Convocation was declared open by UTAR Council Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UTAR Education Foundation Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, other UTAR Council and Board of Trustees members, university partners, and guests were also present at the ceremony.
Tun Ling (left) and Prof Chuah delivering their convocation speeches.
The Guests of Honour for the four sessions of the convocation were Retired Judge of the Court of Appeal and former President of the Malaysian Bar Council Tan Sri Dato’ V.C. George for Session One, Editor-in-Chief of Chronicle of Malaysia and Trustee of Eco World Foundation Philip Mathews for Session Two, Founder and Executive Chairman of Silverlake Group of Companies Goh Peng Ooi for Session Three, and UTAR Council Member Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn for Session Four.
Guests of Honour, clockwise from top left: Tan Sri V.C. George, Mathews, Tan Sri Fong, and Goh.
The scroll presenters were Member of the Board of Trustees of UTAR Education Foundation Datuk Oh Chong Peng for Session One, Member of the Board of Trustees of UTAR Education Foundation Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian for Session Two, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UTAR Education Foundation Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Sak Cheng Lum for Session Three, and Member of UTAR Council Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn and Member of UTAR Council-cum-Minister of International Trade and Industry II Dato’ Seri Ong Ka Chuan for Session Four.
(Left) Datuk Oh presenting the scroll to Master of Communication graduate Inderjit Kaur.
(Right) Tan Sri Lee presenting the scroll to Banking and Finance graduate Tong Yik Liang.
(left) Tan Sri Sak presenting the scroll to Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery graduate Sarveen Prasad.
(Right) Dato’ Seri Ong presenting the scroll to Accounting graduate Chua Poh Ling.
Tun Ling introduced the Guest of Honour for each convocation session. He congratulated the graduates on their outstanding achievements and advised the graduates to be self-motivated and continue to enrich themselves with knowledge. He added, “While striving to achieve your personal and career goals, I advise you to always respect and appreciate diversity, and uphold good ethics and values that display an ideal character wherever you go.”
In his speech, Prof Chuah said, “Academic prowess or technical knowledge is undoubtedly crucial. However, equally important for life and success are other non-academic aspects such as soft skills, life skills, ethics, professionalism, and values. The university has always taken great care in equipping our students with soft skills and life skills, which complement their technical skills, to greatly sharpen their competitive edge. All the university’s efforts are driven towards grooming and guiding the students to become holistic graduates with sound technical knowledge and other exemplary skills and qualities who can contribute positively to society, nation, and even humanity. This is clearly explained in the university’s Pillars of Education and they give true meaning to the holistic graduates that the university aspires to produce. The Pillars are: Virtue and Morality, Knowledge and Intellect, Physical and Mental Health, Sociality and Humanitarianism, Aesthetics and Harmony, and Creativity and Innovation.”
Tan Sri V.C. George gave an inspiring speech to the graduating students, saying, “At 85, I consider myself to be middle-aged. However, you are young and the world is out there waiting for you to explore and invade, waiting for you to conquer! The possibilities are endless and many opportunities are available. Go forth with a positive mind and discover your capabilities. There will be hurdles, obstacles, barriers, and resistances. However, particularly as you have been privileged to have received a high quality education, you should always be positive and you will overcome those hurdles, to go on and try even harder to achieve your life’s ambition.”
Mathews motivated the graduates and said, “Wherever you are and whatever you choose to do, never compromise in your pursuit of excellence. Pursue excellence relentlessly. Always aim to do the best, to be the best you can. You should also always be focused and always remember that success comes to those who never quit trying.”
Goh congratulated the graduates and said, “Do what makes you happy and not what you think will make you rich. You may have heard that money cannot buy you happiness but I am proof that happiness can make you money. I was drawn to Mathematics; I excelled in it but at school I was never the ‘top boy’. Being first was not important. What mattered to me was learning. I enjoyed it, therefore I excelled in it. Life is short. Make it count by doing what you like.”
Tan Sri Fong advised the graduating students, “As you pursue your dreams, sometimes it’s good to reflect on what you have and what you want to do and perhaps re-align your goals. Think seriously on what you want to be years from now and how you want to achieve it and then set your plan in place. It is not always that good things just happen along the way. Sometimes we may be on the wrong path and need to make some adjustments.”
The convocation also witnessed the conferment of the Honorary Doctorate for Doctor of Accounting and Auditing and the Honorary Doctorate for Doctor of Corporate Management to Members of the Board of Trustees of UTAR Education Foundation Datuk Oh Chong Peng and Cheng Hooi, Paul Geh respectively for their exceptional contributions and leadership in the fields of accounting, auditing, finance, taxation, and corporate management.
(Left) Datuk Oh receiving his Honorary Doctorate Degree from Tun Ling.
(Right) Paul Geh receiving his Honorary Doctorate Degree from Tun Ling.
Viviane Chee Shu Vei, a graduate of Bachelor of Science (Honours) Quantity Surveying, said, “I am currently working in the construction firm known as Ireka Engineering and Construction Sdn Bhd as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor. UTAR has provided me a stable platform when it comes to getting a job as the market believes that UTAR produce graduates that are ready for employment. Besides, UTAR has provided us a strong basic understanding in the subjects we learnt and also opportunities to master soft skills to prepare ourselves for a better future. I really appreciate my parents’ help throughout my four years of study and I want to thank them for standing by me through thick and thin while continuously encouraging me to strive for what I want.”
Graduates of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery smiling with Prof Chuah (standing fourth from left) and their professors.
Journalism graduate R. Yashwini with her family and friends.
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