Xiamen University Malaysia Celebrates its Fifth Convocation

Published on October 6, 2023

Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) held its Fifth Convocation on 23 and 24 September for its graduating class of 2023. More than 2,500 graduands, their family members and friends, university staff, and distinguished guests attended the ceremonies during the weekend.

Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry, YB Tuan Liew Chin Tong and Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Malaysia, H.E. Ouyang Yujing attended the First Ceremony as the Guests of Honour and gave inspiring speeches to the graduands. Xiamen Univesity President Prof. Zhang Zongyi came all the way from China to award the degrees to the graduands. XMUM President Prof. Wang Ruifang also took part in this joyous celebration.

The Guests of Honour for the other 3 ceremonies of the convocations are Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting, Guest Professor of Xiamen University (Ceremony 2: 23 September afternoon), Prof. Dr. Azlinda Azman, Director General of Higher Education, (Ceremony 3: 24 September morning), and Mr. Yee Wing Peng, Deloitte Malaysia Chief Executive Officer (Ceremony 4: 24 September afternoon).

Recounting Xiamen University Founder Mr. Tan Kah Kee’s efforts to develop vertically integrated industries in Malay Peninsula in the 1920s, YB Tuan Liew Chin Tong encouraged the graduands to realize the interconnectedness of the global economy and urged them not only to contribute to the development of their own countries, but also to be citizens of the world.

Ambassador Ouyang Yujing praised XMUM as “an impressive achievement of China-Malaysia higher education cooperation” and conveyed his hope that the graduands can make “contributions to the promotion of world harmony and shared prosperity”.

Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting spoke highly of XMUM’s rapid progress in terms of research and innovation. He exhorted the graduands to continuously learn and adapt in order to succeed in this fast-changing world.

Prof. Dr. Azlinda Azman warmly congratulated the graduands on their achievements. She expressed her confidence that the establishment and rapid development of XMUM has contributed and would continue to contribute to Malaysia’s strategic objectives of becoming an international education hub and building a developed and high-tech nation.

Mr. Yee Wing Peng shared his remarkable journey from a schoolboy in the small town of Kota Tinggi in Johor to an outstanding career in accountancy and the CEO of Deloitte Malaysia. He used his own inspiring life story to spur the graduands to harness the power of persistence in shaping their future success.

Xiamen University President Prof. Zhang Zongyi extended his heartfelt congratulations to the graduands. He encouraged them to be lifelong learners, ambassadors for mutual learning between civilizations, problem solvers to the pressing issues confronting mankind, as well as inheritor and champions of the spirit of Mr. Tan Kah Kee.

XMUM President, Prof. Wang Ruifang, expressed his gratitude to the strong support the university has received from the public. On this special occasion, he invited the graduands to reflect upon Xiamen University’s motto of “Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection” and to keep it close to their hearts as a constant reminder to embrace every opportunity to learn, to grow, and to contribute.

Prof. Zhang Zongyi turned the tassels for the graduands during the First Ceremony.

The XMUM’s class of 2023 has a total of 1,455 graduands from 17 bachelor’s degree programmes and 4 master’s programmes, including 802 local Malaysian students and 653 international students.

XMUM graduates are highly valued in the job market, favoured not only by Chinese companies and its overseas branches, but also by international companies seeking to expand in Asian market. Many recent XMUM graduates have joined industry-leading companies, such as Huawei, Tencent, Baidu, Intel, Top Glove, KPMG, EY, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, UOB Bank, Public Bank and AIA.

Many XMUM graduates have received offers for postgraduate study from world-renowned universities, such as Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics, from UK; New York University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, from US; National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, from Singapore; Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland, University of Sydney, from Australia; as well as Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Hong Kong, University of Tokyo, among many others.