556 UPM Graduates Celebrated at 49th Convocation Ceremony in Sarawak

BINTULU, Nov 1 — A total of 556 graduates from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) received their respective degrees and diplomas at the 49th UPM Convocation Ceremony, Session 1, held over two days from Nov 1 to 2, 2025, at Dewan Sri Kenyalang, Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak (UPMS).

The ceremony was officiated by UPM Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Peter Chin Fah Kui, who presented degrees to seven Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) recipients, 31 Master’s, 130 Bachelor’s, and 388 Diploma graduates across various academic programmes.

This year’s convocation also marked a milestone for UPMS with the graduation of the first cohort from two newly introduced programmes — the Bachelor of Industrial Chemistry with Honours and the Diploma in Business Management.

During the ceremony, Tan Sri Peter also presented the Live Animals Medical Centre Award to Clayrieysia Samantha Michael Solomon, who was named Best Bachelor’s Graduate from the Bachelor of Bioindustry Science with Honours programme, and the Yvonne Sing Sai Hoi Excellence Award to Russell Tang Hsien Rhon, who was named Best Diploma Graduate from the Diploma in Computer Science programme.

For the first time, the Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad Gold Medal for Co-curriculum and Student Development was introduced to recognise leadership and extracurricular excellence. The inaugural recipient was Wan Irfan Hakim Wan Ismail, a graduate of the Diploma in Agribusiness programme.

This convocation was the first since the rebranding of UPM Bintulu Campus to Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak (UPMS) on June 30, 2025. After more than five decades in Sarawak, UPMS continues to strengthen its expertise and explore new disciplines in line with the Sarawak Maju 2030 aspirations.

Among its strategic initiatives are the establishment of the School of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, the AgriHub@Gedong paddy transformation project, and the Universitas Borneo Consortium, aimed at enhancing collaboration between UPMS and the Sarawak State Government to build a globally impactful higher education and research ecosystem.

In conjunction with the convocation, the 49th UPM Agriculture Expo and Convocation Festival is being held from Oct 30 to Nov 2, 2025, near Dewan Sri Kenyalang. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., the event features a variety of agricultural products including fruit and flower seedlings, vegetables, soil mixtures, compost, and livestock products such as beef, venison, quail, rabbit, and fish.

The convocation not only celebrates the success of the graduates but also reaffirms UPM’s role as a leader in agriculture and food security — contributing to the prosperity of Sarawak and the nation’s development.