His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD handed out certificate to Nuriskandar Hassan

Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Ajeerah Firdausul Bulqiah

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)’s 30th Convocation Ceremony saw 1,543 graduates from the sixth batch of its distinctive GenNext programme celebrating their success at the Chancellor Hall of the university last Wednesday.

Gracing the event was His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD.

Accompanying His Majesty was His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Pro-Chancellor of UBD.

His Majesty was greeted by Minister of Education Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman and Vice-Chancellor of UBD Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz upon arrival.

The ceremony commenced with the recitation of Al-Quran verses, followed by welcoming remarks by the vice-chancellor who highlighted several development initiatives implemented by the university since the previous convocation.

“Focussing on lifelong learning, UBD has expanded flexible programmes to enable the students to further enhance their knowledge and skills without leaving their job. The Centre of Lifelong Learning, which was established last year, offers several lifelong learning programmes,” she said.

She informed that almost 1,700 students are studying in the campus of UBD-FPT Global Centre in Da Nang, Vietnam, and thanked for the awarding of 50 scholarships to the ASEAN Community for five years which saw 35 students receive scholarships and complete their English Language programme from the centre.

The vice-chancellor hoped that the graduates will strive to gain knowledge and adapt themselves in ensuring that they will always be competitive and stay relevant.

The 1,543 students who graduated yesterday comprised 37 PhD graduates, 355 Master’s degree holders, 1,136 Bachelor degree graduates and seven Advanced Diploma and eight Diploma recipients.

Also receiving the graduation certificate was Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Ajeerah Firdausul Bulqiah, the daughter of His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah.

The morning session saw PhD and Bachelor degree holders (Engineering, Arts, Business and Health Science) receiving their certificates while Master’s, Bachelor of Science, Advanced Diploma and Diploma recipients received their graduation certificates in the afternoon session.

Prior to leaving the ceremony, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah toured an exhibition featuring operating businesses and technology and patent-based start-ups UBD entrepreneurs and mingled with the fresh graduates and their parents. Story by Wani Roslan of Borneo Bulletin.

Associate Professor Dr. Mohammad Ayub Sadiq, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Universiti Brunei Darussalam in his welcoming remarks accompanied by Haji Ahmad Najib Haji Ali Hassan, the Director of Spectacle 2018 Committee during the launch of Spectacle 2018: Eminent Art, at the Art Gallery, Chancellor Hall, UBD earlier today

One of the sponsors receiving a token from the Director of Spectacle 2018 Committee

Something to look forward to at Universiti Brunei Darussalam – Spectacle 2018: Eminent Art. It was launched this morning at the Chancellor Hall, UBD. It was officiated by Associate Professor Dr. Mohammad Ayub Sadiq, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), UBD.

70 final year students are exhibiting their innovative art and design capstone projects and this will be part of their final assessments which will be evaluated by Dr. Martie Geiger-Ho, Senior Lecturer, Arts & Creative Technology, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, UBD and Hj Osman bin Hj Mohammad, Adjunct Lecturer, Arts & Creative Technology, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, UBD.

Spectacle 2018 gives the final year students the chance to showcase their artworks and installation and of course, their talents which are translated to the end product. Of course, the public are more than welcome to pay a visit and witness what our locals are able to produce in terms of their efforts and creativity, in hopes to elevate Brunei’s creative industries.

Most of the students I interviewed shared that their ideas of their installations are inspired from their personal experiences. One artist, Fikri Yunus, shared his personal story one how he was a shy person in nature and not being able to be expressive or showing signs of confidence. For his project, he created a cocoon installation, depicting a human being coming out of the cocoon. Yes, the person in the cocoon is Fikri himself where he has morphed into a more confident person and feeling more secured around people. One of the interesting installation to look at when you do visit the Spectacle 2018.

I also noticed more paper artwork being used in artwork displays. Check out the installations such as “Harmonized Disparity” by Nurbazilah binti Bahari, “Brief Insight of Women in Brunei” by Nursheila binti Idnin and “Quillosophy” by Ikmal Atifah binti Awang Mohamad. I really appreciate their efforts on presenting their artworks through paper cuts.

I was just impressed with the ideas that the students have presented in their final assessments. I could just carry on and talked more on it but it would defeat the purpose as I want to encourage you to pay a visit to Spectacle 2018. Furthermore, the entry is FREE for the public. You will be impressed with the talents we have.

Some of the installations being showcased

Installation by Ak Mahmud Ruzaini bin Pg Mohamad who used metal wires for sculpturing purposes. He was expressing the inner struggles within and it can be visible in a skinless form.

An illustration installation by Ikmal Atifah binti Hj Awang Mohamad who used folded coloured papers in creating a portrait of her. This workmanship requires a lot of energy and you have to be meticulous in executing this installation to perfection. Good job!!

Installation called “Heartstrings” by Ajeerah Firdausul Bolqiah. An interesting depiction of her life journey and her emotions are expressed by the chords and frets of a guitar illustrations. The different coloured hearts represent different situations that are either positive or negative.

A papercut illustration which is not quite common in the previous Spectacle but it’s making a presence in this year’s edition. Created by Nurshiela binti Idnin, she carved out three iconic personalities of Brunei through means of papercut. Awesome!!! Who knows one day you will get commissioned for your new known talent. Oh yea, she only started to love paper cutting during her Discovery Year in Bandung, Indonesia.

Last year I saw an illustration using lights and shadow. This year I saw a different perspective on how it can be used to express emotions. Nur Ezzati binti Morni with her project “Metanoia”, utilized wires and lights to create a shadow effect on people’s expression. With the power of the switch, these expressions can quickly change in an instant. Very creative indeed.

Also to share you some information that all the students had limited resources from UBD and hence, they are required to source their own materials in order to complete their end product. The students did fork out money to spend on the materials required to complete their artwork. Some of the displays required a lot of fabrication and that is never a cheap job. So you can see how dedicated the students are in investing their projects and made them possible for display at Spectacle 2018.

Haji Ahmad Najib Haji Ali Hassan, the Director of Spectacle 2018 Committee, was more than relieved after the successful launch of the event earlier this morning. The venue was only handed over in March and they were running against the time. He shared how they were meeting deadlines and completion of the decoration at the Art Gallery, Chancellor Hall. Finally, the whole team made it the event possible today which will continue until 14th May 2018.

Prior to this, the committee also organised fund raising events to help fund the Spectacle 2018 such as hosting the Spectacle Eminent Art Bazaar (February 2018) and Painting workshops (December 2017) to name a few. I kinda like how they have a good branding in promoting their event on social media. So keep it up 😀

Do follow them on @spectacle2018 on Instagram and also pay them a visit at the Gallery Art, Chancellor Hall, UBD. If you’re lucky enough, you might catch the artists there and learn more about their artworks and installations.

If you are thinking of reflection, as in reflecting on yourself, do try this mixed media installation called “Peculiar Reflection” by Dk Siti Syuhaidah binti Pg Baharuddin. When was the last time you look yourself in the mirror and appreciate yourself?

She must be one lucky lady. I wanna have what she has. Nur Lia Anira binti Johar created a 3D animation video called “Lucid Dreaming”. Apparently, she experiences lucid dreams on a yearly basis, meaning that you are conscious while dreaming. I only experienced it twice in my life and it was such an awesome feeling.

The guest of honour paying a visit to Nur Raidah’s installation, “Embossed: New Bruneian Floral”.

This is a mixed media installation by Haji Ahmad Najib who spoke of cerebral palsy among children and the message is to spread the awareness especially for parents and the public that through the right education, children with cerebral palsy can make strides towards a healthier and happier life.

Nurhanisah binti Hj Sabli shared about how that we lose the cultural identity of our country. She depicts using our traditional textile, kain tenunan, to create more awareness on our cultural identity. Hope is not lost indeed.

Ranking for Universiti Brunei Darussalam

A milestone to be proud for. Universiti Brunei Darussalam made it to the Top 400 of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. According to the ranking, it reached its highest with a rank of #349 among 26,000 universities around the world.

This means UBD is among the 1.3% of universities worldwide which is a very outstanding ranking, considering Brunei Darussalam being one of the smallest region in the world.

UBD was established in 1985 and it currently offers 8 academic faculties, 7 research institutes and 2 support centres. It has a total stat of 495 with 251 international staff. It houses almost 3,000 students.

So how does the QS World University Rankings work? The universities were evaluated according to the six metrics.

1. Academic Reputation
2. Employer Reputation
3. Faculty/Student Ratio
4. Citations per faculty
5. International Faculty Ratio
6. International Student Ratio

This was written at the QS World University Rankings website —— > Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) has come a long way since opening its doors in 1985 as the country’s premier national university. Guided by its four core values – people, expertise, relevance and leadership – in 2009, UBD implemented the groundbreaking GenNext Programme, which provides students greater flexibility in tailoring studies to the individual student’s learning style. UBD also offers diverse graduate studies with graduate research scholarships. With eight academic faculties, eight research institutes and two academic service centres, UBD is well-equipped to provide multidisciplinary programmes in a bid to produce students with greater adaptability, independence and drive to succeed.

Congratulations once again to Universiti Brunei Darussalam for reaching the milestone. I’m pretty sure His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuanof Brunei Darussalam will be very proud of this achievement. Let’s hope they strive harder to aim higher in the ranks.

The Top 10 ranking universities worldwide

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuanof Brunei Darussalam, Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam during the UBD Convocation last year

Shazali Dato Hj Sulaiman with his students during the UBD Convocation

Friends graduating from UBD

Towards contributing to the accountancy profession in Brunei, the UBD School of Business and Economics (UBDSBE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) during the BICPA 30th Anniversary Dinner held on 5th May 2017 at the Tarindak d’Polo Restaurant, Royal Polo and Riding Club, Jerudong. Image courtesy of UBD website.

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), through the Centre of Networking, Employment and Career Training (CoNECT) is organising an on-campus corporate profiling event, in collaboration with Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd (Progresif). Image courtesy of UBD website

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) held the “Alumni Networking Event” on 13th May 2017 at the UBD Business Library organised by the Office of Alumni Relations and Advancement (OARA). Image courtesy of UBD website

Over 100 attended a public lecture about heart attacks by Nursing Lecturer Md Khairulamin Sungkai on 24th May 2017 held at the Lecture hall of the PAPRSB Instutute of Health Sciences (IHS). Image courtesy of UBD website

Group photo of the Impact 2017 students with the invited guests. Image courtesy of Vincent Hong. Click image to enlarge.

Yes, this is a delayed post on the @ubdimpact2017 event that’s taking place at Art Gallery, Chancellor Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

The event is called Impact 2017: Art & Design Graduation Exhibition. The project is led by Nonnie King Siaw Chin, the Director, handling over 50 graduating students. With the theme, A Greater Spectacle, it is now in its 5th edition. I was fortunate enough to be view previous events and I am truly amazed by our local talents.

The art installations, paintings, computer graphics, animations and product designs are some of the things you can expect at Impact 2017. For your info, all these finished displays are only part of their module in terms of assessment points. Other marks and points will come from other areas such as presentations. They will be assessed by Associate Professor Kong Ho and Dr. Martie Geiger-Ho.

What’s interesting about the pieces are the story behind them. Why do they create that particular artwork or installation? Professor Kong has been involved with the students by challenging them with ideas and unlock their potential by translating their personal ideas and memories into an art form. Yes, the stories make a huge difference on the audience in appreciating their artwork even further. This exhibition is not something that you simply walk around after having a 3-5 second look. Their finished works required a little more attention and you will be amazed how a simplified artwork tells a lot of stories from the artist. This is the beauty of Impact 2017.

Just to give you some teaser, some of the stories depicts internal struggles, losing your loved ones, social and cultural issues to name a few. There are a few stories on bullying as well. Do connect with the artist to find out more about his or her particular art piece. He or she will appreciate it more. Congratulations to all the students and I hope all of you earned awesome marks from your lecturers 🙂

Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean, UBD’s Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs), gracing the opening of Impact 2017

Titled “Helpless”, a painting installation by Noor Aqilah binti Hj Abu Bakar. The image depicted of her memories as a kid when her home at Kg Ayer caught on fire.

Titled “Seni Sribuza”, pattern design &art installation by Dk Nur Izzatul A’mal Pg Abd Rahim. Seni Sribuza means the art of Brunei. She’s a big fan of decorative patterns on Brunei traditional handicrafts and architecture. Her favourite colour is blue and she spent around BND 4,000 on her installation.

Titled “Use it or Lose it”, graphic design by Md Wafiuddin bin Hj Ahmad. I kinda like this art piece. There’s an interesting story behind this. I shall let you visit Impact 2017 to find out more.

Sentimental Attachment, a photo-realistic drawing by Nurnabilah Awang Hj Mohammed Ismail. She spent a few months finishing her drawing and the items she drawn are something meaningful to her.

The exhibition was officiated on 12th April 2017 at the lobby of the Chancellor Hall by UBD’s Assistant Vice Chancellor (Global Affairs) Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean. Also in attendance were Dato Paduka Hj Idris Hj Abas, Assistant Vice Chancellor (Research & Innovation) Dr David Koh, Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) Dr Hjh Asiyah Hj Ahmad Kumpoh, Principle Officers of UBD and sponsors.

During the opening ceremony, Dr Joyce Teo Siew Yean pointed out that the creative economy is not only a rapidly growing sector of the world economy but also a highly transformative one in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings. She quoted the UNESCO website which said between 2002 and 2011, developing countries averaged 12.1 percent annual growth in exports of creative goods.

“I would like to encourage the Art and Creative Technology programme to continue their pursuit in making this programme unique and multidisciplinary,” she added. “Where each piece of work can also bring in the collaboration from other perspectives such as engineering and entrepreneurship for example.”

The exhibition will open to the public and will conclude on Saturday, 20 May 2017. Gallery hours are from 9am to 7pm Monday through Thursday and Saturday, and the Art Gallery is closed on Friday and Sunday.

For updates, you can follow them on IG @ubdimpact2017 and their Facebook Page. You can also read reports from UBD news and Sutera.

Theressa having fun playing with this art installation by Hjh Noraziah binti Hj Ismail.

Window of Faith, a painting installation by Syakirah Jamali. She’s always fascinated by the colours of light passing through the stained-glass window which evokes the divine presence and a sense of hope.

Kattaleya, an art installation by Azreena Rakawi. She’s fond of flowers since she was a kid. I believe it was her grandma that gave her an orchid when she was little girl. I’m impressed with this installation as it has many layers of glass panels

Theressa wrote many love notes to the students as a sign of appreciation and encouragement.

Sublime, a shadowbox installation by Michelle Lieu. Her idea behind her art project is to change the perception of natural found objects which can be an art form itself. She hopes her project can open the mind of viewers to appreciate the beauty of nature in their surrounding environment.

Regrets and Lies, a videography by Md Hanif Khairuddin Hj Ahmad Shah. Another interesting perspective on why people lie and his video shows the trend in our society on how lies are being perceived.

A Fiery Path of War, a video game design by Wilfred Achong. He created this heavy duty animation game on his own and this alone thats up a few terabytes. Again, we were quite amazed that this was done by him alone. The game shares the effects and the misunderstandings of war.

Affection, an augmented reality graffiti by Md Nur Huda Firdaus bin Jamil. He shares his affection on his late mother. He has a gift on painting murals.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD presenting certificates to the graduates of Universiti Brunei Darussalam last weekend

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Chancellor of UBD, presented certificates to 921 PhD and bachelor’s degree graduates during the morning session of the UBD 28th Convocation ceremony last weekend.

There were about 1,477 graduates. Graduates this year — the fourth batch of UBD’s GenNEXT programme — included 28 PhD graduates, which also surpassed last year’s record of 20.

According to the press release, there were 481 master’s degreeholders, 893 bachelor’s degree graduates, 62 diploma recipients and 13 advanced/graduate diploma recipients.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, has approved the establishment of the Centre for Lifelong Learning (C3L) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Serving as a catalyst for higher-level teaching and learning, the Sultan said C3L will encompass continuous and professional education. His Majesty believed it will also contribute significantly to national development and a knowledge-based society and economy. The Sultan said C3L was among the initiatives introduced by UBD in a bid to provide flexible learning opportunities to the public.

UBD Vice-Chancellor Datin Dr Hjh Anita Binurul Zahrina Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Hj Awg Abdul Aziz said that this year’s convocation included UBD’s first cohort of Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical and Process Engineering graduates.

She said the programme — which had been carried out in collaboration between UBD, China’s Zhejiang University and Hengyi Industries — had seen students carrying out their studies and industrial placements over 18 months in China.

Congratulations to all the graduates and now it’s time to convert your knowledge and experience into the real world for the betterment of our country.

One of the luckiest person I know 😀

A tearful citizen during the meet and greet with His Majesty the Sultan

Always a cheerful moment around our leader

A sea of people before the departure of His Majesty the Sultan

Shazali with his students

His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Deputy Sultan and the UBD Pro-Chancellor, officially launched the opening ceremony of the 2016 UBD Convocation Festival yesterday.

Story by Rabiatul Kamit of The Brunei Times. His Royal Highness Prince (Dr) Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Deputy Sultan and Pro-Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), yesterday launched the 2016 UBD Convocation Festival in celebration of this year’s graduating students.

The annual event featured innovative projects and research under the theme of “Success through Harmony, Knowledge and Resilience”.

Organised by the Student Affairs Section in collaboration with the Office of Promotion and Events Management, the Convocation Festival will be open to the public from October 6 to 22 in conjunction with the Convocation Ceremony at the UBD Chancellor Hall on October 15.

Throughout the month, UBD will also hold religious activities, sporting competitions and cultural events as part of the celebration.

Among those present at the opening were Education Minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman and UBD Vice-Chancellor Datin Dr Anita Binurul Zahrina Hj Abdul Aziz alongside other government officials and foreign envoys.  To read more, click here. Images by Yusri Adanan and Ridhwan Kamarulzaman of The Brunei Times.

The Deputy Sultan being briefed by the Nuriskandar, the President of the UBD Guild of Graduates

The Deputy Sultan being greeted by the UBD students

The Deputy Sultan being briefed about bioelectricity by a Physics undergraduate student

As part of the Pesta Convo, there will be a UBD Convo Run & Cycle 2016 which will take place on 23rd October. The Deadline has been EXTENDED to 15 October 2016 😃 There is still time to register 👍👍 #Bahmaritah join the UBD Convo Run and Cycle happening on 23 October 2016 ~ visit our website for further information👍 Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Mind #ubdconvocation2016


How to register:
Step 1 : Go to http://www.ubd.edu.bn and click *Events* at the top
Step 2 : Go to *UBD Convo Run and Cycle* page and click *for more info*
Step 3 : Under *How to register* please follow the instructions and click this will direct you to UBD online payment page
Step 4 : At the UBD online payment page, select and click *UBD Convo Run and Cycle* icon and Register *UBD Convo Run and Cycle*


For UBD staff & students, you can use your UBD email username and password to login.


Alternatively, you can skip the above steps and go directly to UBD online payment page, https://ipay.ubd.edu.bn to register and pay directly for the run.

Proceeds from the event will be donated to SMARTER #ubd #ubdevents #ubdconvocation2016 #runforgoodcause#cycleforgoodcause and follow their updates on @ubdbuzz IG or Facebook Page.