The University of Queensland will hold a convocation event on Friday, March 17 at 7.30pm at the Westin Stamford and Westin Plaza Hotel, Singapore to acknowledge achievements of new graduates in the presence of alumni, family and friends.
A total of 111 recent graduates will be presented to University Chancellor Sir Llewellyn Edwards at the convocation ceremony.
Sir Llewellyn, University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, and University Secretary and Registrar Douglas Porter will speak at the event, which will be followed by a cocktail reception. The guest speaker will be Dominic Trindade, Deputy High Commissioner to Australia in Singapore.
At the ceremony, Professor Hay will announce eight inaugural scholarships for students from Singapore's four Polytechnic Colleges to study at the University's Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department in 2000.
The Department has a significant and mutually beneficial relationship with Singapore's Polytechnics. In addition to professional contracts with staff, there is also a wide range of student interactions.
"Polytechnic graduates are awarded up to two years' credit towards corresponding UQ degree courses in Engineering (electrical, computer systems, software) and Information Technology, often subsequently graduating from UQ with outstanding results," Professor Hay said.
"In addition, an increasing number of Polytechnic students are choosing the Department as home for industry attachment projects undertaken as part of their diploma studies and contribute to many different teaching and research infrastructure projects under development at UQ.
"It is thus as a committed collaborator in the development of Singapore's human resources that UQ makes these scholarships available."
In 1996 University of Queensland alumni associations were formed in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong to represent the interests of graduates and help them maintain contact with the University. Almost 600 graduates are listed on the University's convocation roll for Singapore.
The University's alumni include former Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew, awarded an honorary doctorate in 1995 for his outstanding contribution to the development of the Republic of Singapore.
The largest proportion of the University's overseas enrolments is from Singapore. This year 677 students from Singapore are studying at The University of Queensland, a 38 percent increase from 1999.
The University also currently has agreements with Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It is a member of Universitas 21, an elite grouping of universities limited to 20 members worldwide, who are committed to quality enhancement through international benchmarking. Members of Universitas 21 include the National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong, Peking University and Fudan University.
Sir Llewellyn said assemblies of alumni, or convocations, were as important to The University of Queensland as they were to its graduates. The University conducted such ceremonies to introduce new graduates to those who had preceded them, in the company of their families and friends.
Sir Llewellyn said the University had many international students during the past 50 years, but in recent years, had witnessed a remarkable growth in the diversity of its student body, particularly in offering places to scholars from the great centres of Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
"Knowledge and scholarship are not restricted by national boundaries and we see ourselves as an international institution, very much enhanced by the interaction of staff and students of different cultures," he said.
"This ceremony also signifies the University's willingness to participate positively within the Asian region. We hope that our graduates will take an active role in the University's regional activities and maintain contact with their fellow students."
For further information: Ms Melinda Seymour, University Protocol Officer, care of the Westin Stamford and Westin Plaza Hotel, Singapore - telephone 338 8585.
