By Ashley Sim
KOTA SAMARAHAN, Nov 6: Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has expressed his pride in the achievements of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) in the areas of teaching and research, and its ongoing commitment to the sustainability of the local community.
The Premier, who is also Unimas pro-chancellor, expressed hope that a significant contribution can be made to support the efforts of the State government in transforming Sarawak into a developed State by the year 2030.
“The existence of Unimas in Bumi Kenyalang (Land of the Hornbills) for 30 years this year, also contributed to assisting the State government in implementing development in rural areas.
“I am very proud that Unimas emphasised so much community empowerment in rural areas, through various strategic plans and also project-based communities that brought many benefits to the community,” he said during his speech at Unimas’ 27th convocation ceremony today at Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Hall (DeTAR PUTRA) in Unimas here.
He noted that these projects include University Social Responsibility (USR), Service Learning Malaysia KPT (SULAM) Dana Lestari, Knowledge Transfer, Technology Transfer, and Sustainability Initiatives, as well as the KPT Prihatin Madani Programme, which provides the opportunity to establish collaborative networks with community involvement through education, research, and technological innovation, all of which have a significant impact on society.
Furthermore, Unimas vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohamad Kadim Suaidi revealed in his speech that Unimas was recognised in ‘The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subjects’ that were announced last Oct 26, where the university achieved great success.
“Six academic subjects have been recognised, showing a very significant increase from four subjects listed in the year previously. Engineering, Business and Economics, Life Sciences, Social Sciences, Clinical and Health, and Computer Science get recognition—that is pretty impressive.
“Moreover, Clinical and Health subjects and Computer Science are new additions in this year’s list and we at Unimas are ranked in the top 800–1,000 at world level,” he added.
A total of 3,897 graduates received their scrolls at today’s convocation ceremony. The convocation is scheduled to beheld from today until Nov 9.
Today’s first session featured 543 graduates, including 64 Doctor of Philosophy recipients, 454 Master’s Degree recipients, and 25 graduates from the Unimas Postgraduate Diploma in Education, which were awarded to Unimas academic staff.
The event was attended by various dignitaries and officials, including Unimas Board of Directors chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Sulong Matjeraie. — DayakDaily
