2011

  • Print

Developments

  • Singapore's President Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam succeeded Mr S R Nathan as NUS' ninth Chancellor.
  • Singapore's Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong launched Yale-NUS College, the first liberal arts college in the country. A collaboration between NUS and Yale University, the Yale-NUS College, an autonomous college of NUS, brings together two universities with distinctive strengths to create a model of residential liberal arts education that is unique in Asia.
  • University Town (UTown) officially opened on 1 August 2011. Besides the Education Resource Centre which comprises Computing Commons, a learning café, technology-infused seminar rooms and a multimedia hub, UTown's first two residential colleges, Cinnamon and Tembusu, welcomed their first residents. Cinnamon College is home to the University Scholars Programme while Tembusu offers the University Town Residential Programme, a multidisciplinary academic programme.
  • NUS launched the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health which will offer its flagship Masters in Public Health programme. The new School will also develop a long-term comprehensive public health research capability that will provide the rigorous scientific base to inform policy and action, hence significantly contributing towards improving the health of Singaporeans and communities in Asia and beyond.
  • NUS launched its seventh overseas college in Israel as part of its programme to promote entrepreneurship.
  • NUS researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences launched the first-ever comprehensive reference book entitled "Singapore Biodiversity - An Encyclopedia of the Natural Environment and Sustainable Development" which consolidates almost 200 years of studies on Singapore's natural history. Launched by NUS Chancellor and Singapore President Mr S R Nathan, the book contained content from 65 contributors from the academia, government agencies and environmental activist groups in Singapore.

 

Academic Initiatives

  • In honour of its founding dean, the Faculty of Law established the Lionel A Sheridan Professorship. Prof Sheridan was appointed the first Professor of Law and Head of the Law Department in July 1956. He was also elected its first dean when the Department attained Faculty status in November 1959.
  • The Faculty of Engineering launched Singapore's first Executive Master in Systems Engineering and Management.
  • The Faculty of Law was the first in Asia to partner the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the World Bank to offer two fellowships respectively for law graduates beginning 2011. The World Bank's two-year Legal Associates Programme offers the opportunity to work in the World Bank Legal Vice Presidency and is open to students with a master's degree (LL.M.), and top-ranking Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) students may apply for the six to 12 months Legal Internship Programme. The ICJ programme offers the opportunity to work in the chambers of one of the judges.
  • NUS launched a new Bachelor of Environmental Studies programme, the University's first-ever interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programme. The four-year direct Honours degree programme equips students with a solid foundation on environmental issues through a broad-based curriculum in their first two years, and offers specialisation in either Environmental Biology or Environmental Geography in their third and final years of studies.
  • The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and the Peabody Institute at The Johns Hopkins University introduced a Joint Bachelor of Music degree programme, the world's first and only international undergraduate conservatory music programme of its kind.
  • INSEAD and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) established the Continuation Path degree programme, enabling students from INSEAD to branch out into public administration, and students from the LKY School into business administration.
  • Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore launched the Benjamin Sheares Professorship in Academic Medicine.
  • The Institute of Water Policy unveiled Asia's first multi-year water leadership programme funded by the Temasek Foundation. The programme will train 700 water leaders in Asia over the next 10 years to ensure improved access to life-saving water and sanitation facilities in the continent's emerging markets.

 

Research

  • The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences launched an online portal "Singapore Research Nexus", allowing academics, policymakers, students and the general public access to research of the Faculty's 15 departments on humanities and social sciences issues affecting Singapore.
  • NUS partnered Gamesa, a global leader in wind energy technology, on the research and development of lightweight and strong fibre-reinforced composite materials and structures for wind turbines.
  • NUS and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) launched two new research programmes aimed at training skilled professionals in Green Electronics, a new growth area in the electronics sector. These programmes will equip NUS graduates with the knowledge and skills to plan and design green data centres and pioneer next-generation power devices for green automotive and energy harvesting.
  • Carl Zeiss, a leader in the optical and opto-electronic industries, inked a Memorandum of Understanding with NUS to establish the Carl Zeiss Innovation Laboratory, a first of its kind in Singapore. This collaboration will foster greater knowledge exchange between NUS staff and Zeiss researchers, application specialists and engineers in advanced imaging and sample preparation, and increase networking opportunities between the two communities.
  • NUS and JTC Corporation established a new joint research centre, the NUS-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation (NUS-JTC I3) Centre, which aims to promote the growth and development of innovative and sustainable industrial infrastructure solutions in Singapore.

 

Benefactions

  • The University received a gift of S$30 million from NUS alumnus and Trustee Prof Saw Swee Hock ('56) to establish a new School of Public Health. In recognition of his philanthropic contributions and long-standing service to the University, the former NUS Department of Epidemiology and Public Health was re-named the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
  • The Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM) received S$30 million through a pledge made by Dato' Sri Dr Tahir ('76) to advance medical education and research to benefit Singaporeans and others in the community.
  • YLLSoM also received S$12.75 million for various purposes from key supporters Yong Loo Lin Trust, Toh Kian Chui Foundation, Estate of George Reginald Wadsworth, Kidney Dialysis Foundation, Dr Oon Chiew Seng ('48), Temasek Foundation and Lee Foundation.
  • NUS University Town received S$17 million from Founding Benefactors Mr Chua Thian Poh, Dato' Low Tuck Kwong, Ms Elaine Low, Keppel Corporation Limited, Prof Lan Weiguang ('95), Dr and Mrs Lee Seng Gee Hon DLitt ('02), Mr Martua Sitorus, Dato' Sri Dr Tahir ('76), The Silent Foundation, Suntar International Pte Ltd, Mr Kuok Khoon Hong ('72) and Wilmar International Limited.
  • Yale-NUS College, which will admit students in 2013, received S$22.49 million in new gifts and pledges from various donors, including key contributors Singapore Airlines Limited, Singapore Exchange Limited, Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, Georgette Chen Trust, Binjaitree and Prima Ltd, for professorships as well as student programmes and scholarships.
  • The Institute of Real Estate Studies received S$12.75 million from Far East Organization Centre Pte Ltd, Lippo Group, Mr Zhong Sheng Jian and Dr Seek Ngee Huat ('73).