Stewardship Strong leadership that inspires stakeholders to work towards a common goal is the key to any successful organisation. NUS is no exception. The previous council has laid the foundation for the University to become autonomous. The challenge for the present Board is to build on this legacy. I am confident that members of the new Board, drawn from the public service, private sector and academia will have much to contribute with their diverse experience and expertise. With their combined input, they will steer and guide the University to greater heights.

The year in review saw Mr Tan Yong Soon, Mr Winston Hodge, Professor Martha Piper and Professor Christopher Earley retired from the Council. The remaining council members were then appointed to the new Board of Trustees and were joined by Ms Elim Chew, Mr Lucas Chow, Professor Olaf Kübler, Mr Paul Ma, Mr Philip Ng, Mr Lucien Wong and Dr Tadataka Yamada.

The new Board will continue to work with management to further enhance systems and controls as part of the governance process to support the University’s pursuit of excellence and to safeguard the best interest of stakeholders. To support the Board in its oversight and stewardship of the University, seven sub-committees have been set up, namely the Executive Committee, Audit Committee, Nominating Committee, Remuneration Committee, Investment Committee, Campus Planning and Development Committee and Entrepreneurship Committee. Each of this subcommittee is chaired by a member of the Board and has its own terms of reference which sets out its roles and objectives.

Administrative and Financial Autonomy Corporatisation will provide the University with greater financial and administrative autonomy to chart its own direction, build on its areas of strength to achieve higher peaks of excellence, raise its standing in the international arena and enhance students’ learning experience.

It calls for the Board, working together with management, to take even greater ownership and accountability on key decisions affecting the University and play an even more proactive role in charting its direction. New policies and procedures will have to be introduced and existing ones streamlined to ensure that the University is managed efficiently and effectively, and avoid wasteful duplication of resources. Imperative in all these undertakings is good communications. We look forward to the further strengthening of the communication process between Board and management, faculty members, student body and alumni to ensure that collective views and concerns of the University community are considered thoroughly before any decision is taken that will have significant impact on the University.

With financial autonomy comes ownership and the need for the University to play a more active role in fund raising as well as to seek alternative funding options to support its mission. The Singapore Government remains the principal source of funding for the University. Empowered by financial autonomy to decide on its tuition fee structure, the University, nevertheless, will have to comply with caps on undergraduate tuition fee increases which are prescribed by the Ministry of Education, to ensure continued affordability.

In the time-honoured tradition of NUS to ensure that no deserving student is denied admission to the University on account of financial difficulty, both the Government and the University are committed to ensure that the University’s financial assistance schemes will fully meet the needs of deserving students.

Accountability As the Government devolves greater autonomy to the University, we are required to observe a framework of accountability to ensure that Government funding is well utilised and directed towards achieving national objectives. The accountability framework comprises a Policy Agreement and a Performance Agreement signed between the University and the Ministry of Education. The Policy Agreement sets out the strategic direction and guidance for the University and demarcates the boundaries of the University’s autonomy, while the Performance Agreement articulates what the University has set out to achieve in the areas of teaching, research, service and organisational development over a five-year period.

In addition, the Ministry of Education has drawn up a Quality Assurance Framework that requires the University to submit annual progress reports and undergo a five-year on-site external validation as part of the ex-post accountability element.

Moving Forward In the long-term, the University will continue to attract talent from Singapore, the region and beyond so that the quality of students will be comparable to those of leading public universities in the world. At the same time, the University will strive to recruit faculty and staff of international stature who are acknowledged world-wide for their achievements and impact.

While corporatisation brings new changes, NUS remains deeply committed to excel in its core competencies of creating and imparting knowledge with global and entrepreneurial dimensions. The learning process at NUS will become increasingly broad-based, nurturing critical thinking and initiative while balancing academic rigour with personal development. This is to ensure that the NUS graduate is equipped with the agility of problem-solving to take on the driver’s seat in a rapidly changing global economy that is increasingly knowledge-based.

The University’s research focus will further and substantially intensify with the step up of multidisciplinary collaborations both on campus and with international partners. The University will build on the positive profile it presently enjoys in international academia for research excellence at the frontier of new knowledge, as in the fields of biomedical sciences, nanotechnology and Asian studies.

A stronger ownership of the University will surface as the University strengthens the spirit of esprit de corps amongst all its stakeholders. In particular, bonds forged by the alumni during campus days will be deepened as the University continues to engage them as their home away from home.

In reaching forward to scale new peaks, the University does not lose sight of its service mission to the nation as well as the community at large. As a portal of knowledge, it delivers not only global talent but also serves increasingly as an engine of growth through its innovations and technological breakthroughs.

Appreciation As we embark on our new journey, I would like to pause here to record my utmost thanks and appreciation to the many that have through their achievements and goodwill provided us with the launch pad to take off. The success of the University would not have been possible without the support, commitment and dedication of the Board of Trustees, management, faculty members, staff, alumni and benefactors. Side by side and in step with each other we will venture forward.

WONG NGIT LIONG
Chairman, Board of Trustees