By Norrasyidah Arshad
KUALA SELANGOR, Sept 9 — Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was accorded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Sciences degree from Universiti Selangor (Unisel) today in recognition of her contribution to the nation.
Unisel chancellor Tan Sri Arshad Alhaj Raja Tun Uda Alhaj presented the award to the Bandar Tun Razak MP at the university’s 17th convocation ceremony, witnessed by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Unisel president Prof Dato’ Mohammad Redzuan Othman hailed Dr Wan Azizah as an influential, strong-minded woman and a tenacious leader.
“She is also the first woman to ever lead a major political party (Keadilan) in the country, besides once being the opposition leader in Parliament,” he said here.
Redzuan said Dr Wan Azizah is someone who has always cared for Unisel’s performance.
“In October 2018, she visited the university to inaugurate the women and children’s national conference, Komuniti Prihatin carnival and Unisel’s Open Day,” he said.
Separately, 1,306 students will be receiving their scrolls from Unisel during the convocation ceremony today and tomorrow.
They comprise 583 diploma, 670 bachelor’s, 36 master’s and 18 PhD graduates, while four students will receive the university’s major awards.
The ceremony, which was officiated by Arshad, was held at Dewan Canselor at Unisel’s Bestari Jaya campus.
Unisel was first established in August 1999, and has another campus in Section 7, Shah Alam.
Its establishment was in line with the state government’s aspiration to turn Selangor into a key regional education hub.
Over the years, Unisel has scored numerous successes, the latest being its recognition as a competitive university under the Rating System for Malaysian Higher Education Institutions 2022.