Dato' Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik said that the 33-year dream to build UTAR was finally realized as a result of Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad's encouragement and support.

He said work on the UTAR campus in Kampar was going smoothly also because of the support and help from other quarters like the Perak government and Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd. Tajol Rosli Ghazali.

The state had allocated 520ha for the university.