Competitive, versatile grads source of pride for UTP - VC Prof Mohamed Ibrahim

SERI ISKANDAR - While Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) has achieved numerous accolades that reflect the university's pride, true success for a university extends beyond rankings or ratings.

Its vice-chancellor Prof Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib said it is reflected in a university's ability to produce competitive, innovative, and versatile graduates.

One of the very important aspects is students' involvement in co-curricular activities, clubs and associations on campus, which helps them develop interpersonal skills to complement their technical education.

"Interpersonal skills such as leadership, cooperation, communication, and self-management are the keys to success in the real world.

"UTP values community service activities because not only do they help students recognise their duties to the local community but also nurture kindness, social welfare, and awareness, which are essential in our globalised society," he said in his speech at UTP's 23rd Convocation ceremony held at the Chancellor Hall today.

Also present was UTP Chancellor Tan Sri Dr Mohd Hassan Marican.

At the graduation ceremony, 1,386 graduates were awarded their degrees, 114 graduates obtained Doctoral degrees, 198 graduates earned Master's degrees, and 1,074 graduates conferred Bachelor's degrees.

Mohamed Ibrahim said this year, UTP's accomplishments have excelled both nationally and internationally. It was recognised as Malaysia's premier university and the leading private institution in ASEAN by the distinguished international ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE), in the 2023 Asia University Rankings.

In the Subjects Rankings 2024, UTP excelled by securing the top spot in Physical Sciences and claimed second position in the country for engineering. According to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking, UTP rose to 307th position globally, marking a significant improvement from its previous rank of 361st.

Meanwhile, the Petroleum Engineering programme has been recognised as the 16th best in the world, and Mineral and Mining Engineering remains among the top 49 globally, surpassing national rankings, he added.

"With these achievements, UTP has maintained its position as the country's number one university for four consecutive years in both of these subjects," he said.

In another development, Mohamed Ibrahim said in efforts towards the Low Carbon Campus initiative, UTP will take steps to discontinue the use of single-use plastics and plant more trees around the campus area.

"We also encourage students to walk and reduce vehicle usage by building covered walkways from the student residences and parking areas to the academic blocks and offices," he added. - BERNAMA