Hassan Marican proclaimed as 4th UTP Chancellor

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Dr Mohd Hassan Marican has been proclaimed as the fourth Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP).

UTP in a statement today said the proclamation at its campus in Seri Iskandar on Monday was a homecoming for Mohd Hassan for it was during his tenure as Petronas president and chief executive officer that the idea for UTP was first mooted, conceptualised and eventually realised.

Mohd Hassan in his speech reminded the graduates to not forget the less fortunate and contribute to societal upliftment in whatever form regardless of race or religion, the importance of being rational and responsible on how to deal with issues in the post-pandemic world such as climate change.

"Governments may talk of their climate plans and goals, with targets and deadlines, but the how-to is where the challenge lies. I urge the graduates to think about the how. Consider the ways in which you can be involved while keeping in mind the solution and approach has to be carried out in a responsible way," he said.

Mohd Hassan also launched the 25th Anniversary celebration of UTP which was established on Jan 10, 1997, and to commemorate the university's silver jubilee, UTP will organise various events and activities throughout the year for its staff, students and the community.

Meanwhile, UTP vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib emphasised the importance of upholding the responsibility thrust upon the graduates.

"We hope that when you go out to the next chapter of your life, you will uphold the amanah (trust) entrusted to you by the people around you. It is an amanah for you to always do the right thing in honouring the trust and shoulder the hope of your loved ones, UTP and the nation," he said.

The convocation ceremony held in 10 sessions from Jan 10 to 14 saw a total of 1,604 graduates receiving their scrolls, of which 77 were for PhDs, 161 for Master's degree and 1,366 for Bachelor's degree.

Information Systems graduate Asyraf Irfan Muhammad Adib was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Award, while Information Technology graduate Afifaa Fairos and Petroleum Engineering graduate Abdul Haziq Abdul Yazid received the silver and bronze awards respectively.

Computer Engineering graduate Muhammad Fathy Rashad received the Best International Undergraduate Student Award.

Bavoh Cornelius Borecho, a Chemical Engineering graduate, received the Postgraduate Best Research Award for the doctorate's category, while Shamsudeen Temitope Yekeen, a Civil Engineering graduate, received the award for the master's category.

Meanwhile, Syahidah Mohd Khairi, an Applied Computing graduate, received the Best Student Award for Master Programme by Coursework.

Petronas Chairman Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohd Bakke Salleh; UTP Pro Chancellors Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik and Tan Sri Zaharah Ibrahim; and UTP Board of Directors graced the event with their presence.

Also present were UTP former Vice-Chancellors Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono and Datuk Ir (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hashim.

-- BERNAMA