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(Seated from left) Dr Annuar, Wan Junaidi, Fauziah and Dr Khairuddin take one for the album with Chancellor Award recipient Dennis Phiong (standing, centre) and his parents. SIBU (Dec 14): A total of 351 graduates from 22 academic programmes will receive their scrolls during the University of Technology Sarawak’s (UTS) ninth convocation ceremony at the Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor Hall on Dec 14 and Dec 15. The graduates comprise two Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, 33 Master’s degrees, and 316 Bachelor degrees with honours.
The convocation ceremony was officiated by the head of state and the newly-appointed Chancellor Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. UTS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abdul Hamid stated during the ceremony, the prestigious Chancellor Award will be presented to the most outstanding graduate and another two graduates will receive Academic Awards from the chancellor. In addition, a total of 26 graduates will receive Industry and Leadership Awards and another 12 graduates will receive Book Awards.
Dr Khairuddin said UTS always pride themselves on fostering academic excellence, not just about equipping students for today’s challenges, but also making them global citizens who are recognised and valued for their contribution worldwide. “Realising the importance of this issue, we have chosen ‘Academic Excellence, Global Recognition’ as the theme of this convocation. Academic excellence, at its core, is the search of knowledge with passion, commitment, and integrity.
“It is not merely about achieving high grades but is about cultivating a deep understanding of the world around us, developing critical thinking skills, and contributing meaningful to society,” he said. He added excellence without recognition can be isolating, while recognition without genuine excellence lacks credibility. Therefore, he believed academic excellence and global recognition are not mutually exclusive but rather, complement each other.
“Global recognition means that our ideas, innovations and discoveries are valued and respected across different cultures and countries. Global recognition can provide opportunities for UTS to establish international collaborations, partnerships and a wider platform for achieving academic excellence,” he said. He noted in August this year, UTS had been recognised and awarded Malaysia’s Best University in TVET Education for Advanced Skills Training.
Then on Nov 1, 2024, UTS was accorded with the TVET-Instruction (TVET-I) accreditation by the Department of Skills Development, Ministry of Human Resources Malaysia — the first university in Malaysia to receive this newly approved accreditation by the Ministry. “Again, this reaffirms the pioneering excellence of UTS in championing the dual recognition of academic and technical education in Malaysia. “This achievement is made possible through the offering of our unique and innovative Bachelor of Technology Management program, under the School of Business and Management,” he said.
He also said that their Foundation of Arts and Foundation in Science programmes under the School of Foundation Studies had been recognised internationally for direct entry to selected degree programs offered by Murdoch University (Australia), Royal Holloway University of London and Teesside University (United Kingdom). He said this showed the quality of the university’s academic programmes are on par with those in developed countries. For research and development (R&D) activities, he highlighted the exceptional achievements of their six research centres, which are managed by the Centre for Research and Development at UTS.
“Collectively, these centres have solidified our reputation as a hub for impactful research and innovation. “So far, we have steadily accomplished over 1,472 publications, 33 intellectual properties, 615 grants secured internally and internationally, and 107 consultancy projects contributing directly to the government, industry and society. “We have secured numerous international research grants and co-organised a number of high impact conferences through our active collaborations with established universities all over the world,” he explained.
Among UTS partners include Tallinn University (Estonia), Malmo University and Stockholm University (Sweden), University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Tsinghua University and North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (China), Humboldt University and University of Applied Sciences (Berlin, Germany) and Cornell University (USA). He said UTS also established special partnership with China to establish the Confucius Institute at UTS (the first in Sarawak), and a special Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE) to promote students and staff exchange and mobility programs between Sarawak and United States. “In addition, because of the active participation of our staff in international activities, UTS has been appointed as the Asia Chapter for the International Network for Postgraduate Students (IPID), which is a recognition for Sarawak and Malaysia as well,” he said.
Also present were Wan Junaidi’s wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi, the Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Dr. Annuar Rapaee, who is also UTS Board of Directors chairman, and other dignitaries..
