YB Dato' Seri Rohani Abdul Karim delivering her official launching address
The entrance of the new office of the Alumni Association
1. Introduction. The new office of the Alumni Association, located on the ground floor of the Canselori of UPM, was officially launched on March 26, 2016 by YB Dato' Seri Rohani Abdul Karim, Minister of Woman, Family and Community Development. Among the guests present were the many illustrious ex-students, among them were: Tan Sri Rashdan Baba, the first VC of UPM, Tan Sri Mohd Nor Ismail, the ex- Deputy VC, Prof. Aini Ideris, the current VC, YAM. Dato' Seri DiRaja Syed Razlan Jamalullail, President of the Association and members the Executive Committee, senior officials of the University and an estimated 150 members of the Alumni and students. The spacious new office accommodates the administrative staff under a manager, a meeting room that can take an estimated 20 members, a lounge where the photos of 40 iconic alumni are displayed on the wall (designated of the Wall of Fame) and a corner space at the entrance where souvenir items of the Alumni like T-shirts, necktie and others are displayed.
Directory to the various offices in the Chancellory
View of the office
Corner space in the office displaying souvenir items
The meeting room in the office
The Lounge area
The Wall of Fame displaying iconic personalities of the Alumni
The Hon. Minister having a brie discussion with members of the Alumni
The banner on the official launching
2. The Official Ceremony. The guest-of-honor, on arrival, was escorted to the entrance of the Office and after being blessed with the recital of prayer, cut the ribbon and followed by the signing of a plaque. She was then conducted on a quick tour of the facilities and had a brief discussion with the Alumni luminaries at the lounge. She was then escorted to the Auditorium on the third floor of the Chancellory, where those present, were assembled and the speeches delivered.
3. Welcoming Address. The President in his welcoming address, expressed his gratitude to the management of the University for having generously provided space to accommodate the Office of the Alumni Association in the Chancellory, which is regarded as a recognition that the Alumni and its members are important stakeholders in the management and development of the University. He emphasized the need for close cooperation between the students, the University and the Alumni. Recognizing that members of the Alumni can play a mentoring role to students, the Association has organised lectures under its program of Alumni Foundation Talk. He added that the nation is undergoing a difficult economic situation and that the people have to go through high costs of living and accordingly, the Association could play its role to raise funds. The Alumni is committed to establish the UPM Endowment Fund and appeal to members for their generous contribution as we have all benefited from the education at the University. He also congratulated Y. Bhg Dato Seri Prof Aini Ideris for her appointment as the new VC and her commitment to continue to accord agriculture as the core area of interest and trust at the University,
4. The Official Launching Address. YB Dato' Seri Rohani congratulated Y. Bhg Dato Seri Prof. Aini Ideris on her appointment as the new VC. She was proud to belong to the 'Serdang Breed' which is associated with toughness and success. She was nostalgic about her days at the University and narrated the many interesting exploits during her student days. She graduated from the University in 1979. She highlighted that the University has gone through tremendous transformation, having started first as a humble school of agriculture, then college and subsequently a Research University. She suggested that members of the Alumni Association should organize talks so that members can motivate and share their expertise and experiences with students, as a show of gratitude and at the same time implement projects that could generate funds that could be contributed towards the financing of various academic activities of the University. The Hon. Minister then went on to highlight the various areas of responsibility of the Ministry which encompass, among them, women, family, children, welfare programs, the handicapped and the elderly. According to her, Malaysia is projected to be an ageing nation by 2035 where 15 % of its population would be constituted of the elderly whose age is 60 and above. The biggest problem among the elderly is loneliness and her Ministry has such activities as home help and established recreational centers for senior citizens to overcome this malaise. The Ministry is formulating an appropriate policy to meet the needs of an ageing population. She ended her speech by announcing her contribution of RM 100,000 to the Alumni Endowment Fund.
The President delivering his welcoming address
A section of the Alumni members present
5. The Annual General Meeting. The AGM was called to order soon after the official opening of the new office. As it was not an election year the Meeting was devoted to the presentation and adoption of the Annual Progress Report and the Financial Report. The 2015 Annual Report was published in an impressive publication with many photographs recording the various activities. The Report detailed the activities of the Association organised under five Committees: a. Liaison with the Alma Mater, Government and Industry; b. Alumni Networking; c. Management and Membership; d. Finance and Investment; and e.Sports, Welfare and Social. As of February 2015, the total number of members stood at 77 231 made up of two categories: 1698 who applied for membership and 75 533 who became members on convocation. The latter category became operational since 2004. The activity of note in 2015 was a series of motivational lectures to students in the various residential halls where members of the Alumni shared their experiences with new students. This program is undertaken under the Alumni Foundation Talk. In the effort to strengthen the link with members, get-togethers and dinners were organised accompanied with educational lectures. At the same time the website has 20 265 hits and the blog have attained 8 632 in March 2016. The Alumni has also continued to publish its Bulletin and the magazine "Serdang Sun". On the Finance Report ending 31 December 2015, the balance sheet did not appear too good as the balance at RM 22, 564 was considered insignificant in the light of the anticipated expenses. It was suggested that the Committee looked closely of how to generate funds to fulfill the projected operating expenses of the Association.
The Executive Committee at the AGM
Posted on April 10, 2016
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