KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus held its first graduation ceremony of the year on 8 March 2023, with 297 graduates receiving their scrolls after years of hard work and dedication in pursuing their studies.
Taking place at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), the ceremony saw the conferment of awards to 270 undergraduates. These undergraduates included 118 in business, 77 in engineering, 40 in computing, 22 in design and 10 in science. Of the 10 science graduates, two were from the first graduating cohort of Swinburne Sarawak’s Bachelor of Science (Environmental Science) program.
Two double-degree graduates were also conferred their awards – one for engineering and business and the other for engineering and computer science.
Among the graduating cohort was a graduate from Swinburne’s home campus in Melbourne who completed his Bachelor of Psychological Sciences. Eight graduates from the Diploma of Business Management program also received their scrolls.
Awards were presented to 18 graduates from Master’s programs, comprising 13 from Master of Business Administration (International), four from Master of Engineering (Research) and one from Master of Arts (TESOL). A Doctor of Philosophy was also awarded during the ceremony.
This group of graduates comprised Malaysian students and students from around the world, including Indonesia, Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka.
Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment YB Datuk Haji Len Talif Salleh was also present at the ceremony to support his daughter Nur Baizura binti Talif @ Len, who was graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours (Civil). Datuk Len, who was also a former member of the Swinburne Sarawak Board of Directors, said he felt proud of his daughter’s effort and commitment throughout the years.
Vania Lim (second right) and her family at the graduation ceremony.
“As a father, I advise all Sarawakians or Malaysians as a whole to use Swinburne as a platform to further their studies. In terms of cost, it would be a third of the cost to study here compared to going to Australia – the advantage is that you would get an Australian degree regardless,” he said when met at the event.
Swinburne Sarawak Pro Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Ir Professor Lau Hieng Ho congratulated all graduates and their parents on their success.
“We have more than 3,000 students now. After the Covid-19 pandemic, our student numbers have continued to grow and we hope we will be able to reach 5,000 students in the future. With support from the Sarawak government, we have invested RM50 million into our campus upgrades. All of these new and upgraded facilities are for our students to enjoy a world-class campus in Kuching,” he said.
He also shared that over the last two years as well as this year, Swinburne Sarawak has been rolling out new courses such as the Bachelor of Quantity Surveying (Honours), Bachelor of Media and Communication and more. He added that students would also be able to access the range of courses offered by Swinburne’s home campus in Melbourne.
Valedictorian Vania Lim, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Finance), said her journey at Swinburne Sarawak was wholesome.
“It was a roller coaster ride with many ups and down. The successes, failures, learning, rewards and growth I have experienced in Swinburne have made my journey wholesome. I hope to apply the abilities and learnings I have gained here at Swinburne in my future career to build a better world,” she said.
Lim, who is from Indonesia, remembered having great memories as a student at Swinburne Sarawak. One was being a part of the Swinburne O-Week crew, where she gained new friends and enjoyed countless good times having meals, studying, celebrating successes and exploring Kuching together.
Congratulating her fellow graduates on completing their journey as university students, she said, “As we part ways, we are all moving towards a new chapter of our life. The future holds no promises but rather mysteries and surprises. Nevertheless, always believe that what you’ve learnt at Swinburne will prepare you for both. Wishing you all great success with your dreams and careers!”
A student receives her scroll from Professor Pollaers.
The graduation ceremony was presided by Swinburne University of Technology Chancellor Professor John Pollaers OAM. Presenting the awards to the graduates were Professor Pollaers and Swinburne Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Pascale Quester. Also present was Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Engagement) Professor Simon Ridings and other honoured guests.
Swinburne is an Australian university based in Melbourne, Australia. It is ranked among the Top 1% of universities globally in the QS World University Rankings 2023 and the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Swinburne Sarawak has been recognised as one of the country’s Top 10 Preferred Private Universities by JobStreet.com. It is also the first and only Adobe Creative Campus in Malaysia, granting students and staff full access to the Adobe Creative Cloud on all devices.
For more information on Swinburne Sarawak, visit its website (www.swinburne.edu.my), Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).