A Spectacle of Appreciation and Solidarity by TARCians

In conjunction with the celebration of Chinese New Year, the alumni of Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (‘TAR UC’) took the opportunity to celebrate the festivity with their alma mater to show their appreciation and solidarity. The TARCian Alumni Association (‘TAA’), the association for TAR UC alumni, organised the Chinese New Year cum TAR UC Staff Appreciation Dinner on 5 March 2016 held at the Grand Ballroom at The Place @ One City as an avenue for them to strengthen their relationship with their alma mater and to show their gratitude to TAR UC for the excellent education they received from the institution.

Themed ‘Colours of TAR UC’, the dinner saw close to 1,200 invited guests comprising mainly TAR U C staff and alumni. All the guests dressed to the nines for the occasion and some were seen arriving as early as 5.30pm. Many of those who came early took the opportunity to capture a shot or two of themselves wearing attractive props at a photo booth which was set up outside the Grand Ballroom. 

The dinner was attended by Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TARC Education Foundation & Board of Governors of TAR UC, President of MCA and Minister of Transport, as the Guest Of Honour. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon, TAA President and Member of the Board of Governors of TAR UC, Dato’ Yap Kuak Fong, Organising Chairman and Deputy President of TAA, and Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR UC were also present at the dinner together with many prominent TAR UC alumni including Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Chairman of Top Glove Corporation Berhad and Dato’ Chan Wah Kiang, Managing Director of Ajiya Berhad who is also the Vice President of TAA, amongst others. Upon his arrival, Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai was welcomed into the Grand Ballroom by the graceful lion dance performance by TAR UC Lion Dance troupe.

In his opening speech, Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai congratulated TAA and TAR UC for successfully organising the dinner which had brought TAR UC staff and alumni closer together and further cemented the ties. 

“Over the years, TAR UC has produced a strong network of more than 180,000 alumni, who have grown to become leaders of the nation, successful entrepreneurs, industry experts and professionals. I am very pleased to see so many members of the alumni here tonight, and I hope to see your continued contribution to the good work that is being undertaken by TAR UC,” said Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai. 

He also highlighted key developments that had and would be taking place in TAR UC as the institution continued to provide wider access to quality tertiary education to the community. “At the Penang Branch Campus, we recently launched the newly minted RM30 million new phase, which features one 3-storey library building, two 4-storey faculty blocks and a twin lecture theatre hall. As part of our expansion plans, TAR UC will soon have a Pahang Branch given its ground-breaking ceremony last year. As a purpose-built 15-acre campus development, RM45 million has been allocated to build lecture halls, administration block, a sport centre, and even an Olympic-sized swimming pool, by the end of the year”.

“Another RM50 million will be utilised for a similar campus in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, for which the ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled to take place on 25 April 2016. In addition, plans are underway for the expansion and upgrading of the Johor Branch Campus in Segamat. A new ICT Learning Centre and a Student Entrepreneur Business Centre will be built at a cost of RM18 million, with targeted completion by the end of 2017,” he elaborated further.

  

Meanwhile, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon in his speech shared his pride that the alumni under TAA had contributed meaningfully in the development of their alma mater. He continued: “As an alumnus, I am happy to witness the milestone of TAR College being upgraded to a University College. We are proud that TAA not only participated but also contributed to the upgrading efforts. We also played a role in the initial setting up of the purpose-built campus for both Pahang and Sabah branch campuses”.

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh also highlighted the continuous effort from TAA to help TAR UC in realising another development project which was the building of the Student Centre. “The Student Centre would require RM30 million with RM15 million to be raised from the alumni. We believe that together with TAR UC, we will be able to make this project a reality in 5 years’ time”, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh added. 

One of the key highlights in the dinner was the presentation of commemorative plaque to TAA Sabah chapter, represented by Datuk Gerald Goh, to officially launch TAA Sabah chapter. Besides this, the official launch of TAA South also took place with the presentation of a commemorative plaque to Mr Elvin Leong Jun Jie who represented TAA South and this chapter represents TAA members in the state of Johor. 

Another highlight which added significance to the dinner was the launch of ‘Colours of TARCian’, in conjunction with TAR UC’s 50^th Anniversary which will be celebrated in 3 years’ time. This initiative championed by TAA and endorsed by TAR UC will feature inspiring and colourful stories of selected 50 TAR UC alumni in the form of a commemorative book and short videos.

There was also a lineup of captivating performances by TAR UC staff and students that kept the guests entertained as well as lucky draws for TAR UC staff. Besides the performances, a few of the prominent TAR UC alumni who are industry captains, took centre stage as they belted out a few numbers to the thunderous clap from the audience. The programme for the night ended with a toast of prosperity for TAR UC and TAA before the finale which was TAR UC’s signature song, ‘La Man’, performed by TAR UC Choir.