Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai presenting his opening speech.
It was an evening filled with air of festivity at the 4th gathering of the TARCian Alumni Association (‘TAA’) Chinese New Year (‘CNY’) cum TAR UC Staff Appreciation Dinner which was held on 5 March 2016 at The Place @ One City. Close to 1,200 invited guests attended the dinner which was organised by TAA with the aim of strengthening its relationship with its alma mater and to show appreciation towards TAR UC for having provided them with excellent education.
Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of TARC Education Foundation & Board of Governors of TAR UC, President of MCA and Minister of Transport, was present to grace the dinner. Also present at the dinner was Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon, TAA President and Member of the Board of Governors of TAR UC, Dato’ Yap Kuak Fong, Organising Chairman and Deputy President of TAA and Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok, President of TAR UC. Many TAR UC alumni who are prominent figures in the industries, were also present such as Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, Chairman of Top Glove Corporation Berhad and Dato’ Chan Wah Kiang, Managing Director of Ajiya Berhad who is also the Vice President of TAA.
In his opening speech, Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai highlighted the overwhelming support shown by TAR UC alumni towards its alma mater as he said: “Over the years, TAR UC has produced a strong network of more than 180,000 alumni, who have grown to become leaders of the nation, successful entrepreneurs, industry experts and professionals. I am very pleased to see so many members of the alumni here tonight, and I hope to see your continued contribution to the good work that is being undertaken by TAR UC”.
Meanwhile, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Barry Goh Ming Choon in his speech expressed his joy on TAA’s contribution towards the development of TAR UC as he said: “As an alumnus, I am happy to witness the milestone of TAR College being upgraded to a University College. We are proud that TAA not only participated but also contributed towards the upgrading efforts”. He also highlighted TAA’s continuous efforts to help TAR UC in its next development plan which is the construction of the Student Centre. “The total project requires RM30 million with RM15 million to be raised from the alumni. We believe that together with TAR UC, we will be able to make this project a reality in 5 years time,” he explained in detail.
The dinner also saw the official launching of TAA South and TAA Sabah chapters. A commemorative plaque was presented to Mr Elvin Leong Jun Jie who represented TAA South while Datuk Gerald Goh received the commemorative plaque on behalf of TAA Sabah.
Besides this, another important initiative which was launched at the dinner was the colours of TARCian, a joint initiative between TAR UC and TAA in conjunction with TAR UC’s 50th anniversary which will be celebrated in 3 years time. The initiative will include a compilation of colourful and inspiring stories of 50 prominent alumni of TAR UC which will be featured in a commemorative book and short videos.
The programme for the night included a number of performances by staff and students of TAR UC which included amongst others, performances by TAR UC Choir and a cultural dance performance by TAR UC staff. TAR UC staff also had the chance to participate in the lucky draws.
As the programme for the night drew to a close, a toast of prosperity was made for TAR UC and TAA after which TAR UC Choir sang the University College’s signature song titled ‘La Man’ as a closure to the night.
