KUALA NERUS: Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) Chancellor Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah yesterday presented graduation scrolls to nearly 800 graduates in conjunction with the university’s 9th convocation at its campus in Gong Badak here.
The convocation, which is held for three days until tomorrow, will see six sessions with 2,359 graduates receiving their scrolls at the university’s Dewan Al Muktafi Billah Shah hall.
At yesterday’s ceremony, Sultanah Nur Zahirah presented an Honorary Doctorate of Law to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali and Honorary Doctorate of Management and Leadership to Dr H. Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the governor of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Dr Syahrul is also the president of Persatuan Pemerintah Provinsi Seluruh Indonesia, whose members are governors in Indonesia.
She also presented the Anugerah Pelajaran Diraja (Pingat Jaya Cemerlang) to two recipients, namely Mohamad Farid Abdul Talib and Muhammad Fauzan Abdul Hamid, for their exceptional achievements in academics and co-curriculum.
UniSZA Vice-Chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Ahmad Zubaidi A. Latif said the university started as as KUSZA (Kolej Ugama Sultan Zainal Abidin), a college, 37 years ago, but progressed to a university college and was now a full-fledged university.
UniSZA has since produced more than 23,000 graduates.
“UniSZA has a long list of success stories in academics, co-curricular activities and sports.
“We have 53 foreign lecturers and 587 foreign students, including 352 students pursuing doctorates. We are moving forward and soaring upwards,” he said.
He added that UniSZA had received RM5 million in research funds from the government and had carried out 129 research projects involving various disciplines.
“The impact of research culture in UniSZA is profound with the publication of 363 journals.
“We can only get better,” he said, adding that the university would soon have a hospital equipped with 400 beds and theatres for surgery next to the campus.