Singapore Cabinet minister Dr Lee Boon Yang received the International Alumnus of the Year award at a special University of Queensland graduation ceremony in Singapore on September 23.
Dr Lee, Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, was originally trained as a veterinary scientist at UQ.
He was guest speaker at the graduation ceremony which was attended by more than 200 graduands and recent graduates.
Dr Lee's previous roles have included serving as Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Minister of Labour, Minister of Manpower, Senior Minister of State for National Development, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Defence.
Currently chief whip, Dr Lee has served in different ministerial posts in the Singapore government since 1986.
The chancellor, Sir Llewelyn Edwards, Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, and other senior university officials flew to Asia to preside over the Singapore graduation, plus smaller graduation ceremonies in Hong Kong on September 22 and Kuala Lumpur on September 25.
At the Hong Kong graduation, guest speaker counselor Gloria Chan received the inaugural University of Queensland Alumnus Community Service Award.
UQ Development Office Director Margaret Burke said: "Gloria Chan has undertaken an extensive amount of work for the community and in counseling and is a most worthy winner."
A Queensland Justice of the Peace, Ms Chan completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology and a postgraduate diploma in social planning at UQ followed by a diploma in counseling.
Named International Woman of the Year for services to the community by the American Biographical Institution in 1994, she has won numerous other awards for her voluntary service.
More than 300 UQ students attended the three ceremonies, with some graduates already having received their degrees in earlier graduations in Australia.
The ceremonies are designed to provide the graduates with an opportunity to share their academic achievements with family and friends.
The Asian graduation ceremonies were originally planned for March but had to be postponed due to the security situation and the Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic.
Doctoral students who attended the three ceremonies included:
• Dr Eleanor Tan who received a PhD in Music for her thesis on pianist Percy Grainger`s virtuoso tradition. Dr Tan is now a Senior Lecturer in Music at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore and a music consultant to the National Arts Council.
• Aaron Koh, who received a PhD for his thesis on the impact of globalisation on curriculum reform in Singapore. Mr Koh, a teacher at Anderson Junior College in Singapore, said his thesis examined the impact of globalisation on curriculum reform in Singapore. "My research questions address Singapore’s ‘take’ on globalisation and the tensions and paradoxes surrounding the new curriculum policy, known as ‘Thinking Schools, Learning Nation’," Dr Koh said.
• Dr Nena Lim, a lecturer at the UQ Business School, was awarded her PhD for a thesis about online shopping. She found the main factor deterring potential buyers from making electronic purchases was lack of confidence in technology. She graduated in Australia but travelled to the Hong Kong graduation ceremony so her mother could attend.
Among those who were awarded their degrees at the three ceremonies were masters graduates in disciplines ranging from applied law to clinical pharmacy. A high percentage of the graduates received bachelors degrees in engineering, commerce and business management.
The youngest graduate was 18 year old Chong-Wei Lim, who attended the Kuala Lumpur ceremony. He was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce in July and is the youngest person to graduate from the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law for the past seven years.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Development) Professor Trevor Grigg said almost all the students studied at the University`s main campus in Brisbane although some undertook the Master of Technology Management through a collaboration with the Singapore Institute of Management.
He said the reasons international students chose to study at UQ included the excellence of the education they received, and the fact that Australia was a friendly and safe destination.
"What is also relevant is that so many of our qualifications are professionally recognised throughout south-east Asia," he said.
"You can be confident that your University of Queensland degree will be understood and recognised by government and professional and business organisations.
"For example, Singapore recently recognised the undergraduate legal qualifications from The University of Queensland."
Professor Grigg said the University had been holding the Asian graduation ceremonies for at least a decade.
"When we first started many students were unable to attend our graduation ceremonies in Brisbane, Australia. With the lower cost of travel and certain changes we made in the timing of the ceremonies, more students are graduating in Queensland before returning home. But many students still like to have family and friends at the ceremony and we like to share that celebration of achievement with them."
For further information contact Jan King, communications manager, University of Queensland (telephone 61 7 3365 1120).
