Welcome Remarks by Professor Shih Choon Fong
President,
National University of Singapore
Dinner in honor of the Presidents and
Delegates from Claremont Colleges
28 March 2008, 7.00 pm, Vista, University Hall
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Dear colleagues and friends,
Good evening. It is NUS' pleasure to host dinner for our distinguished guests from the Claremont Colleges in our Vista. Seated on my left at tonight's dinner is President David Oxtoby of Pomona, and three seats away to my right is President Pamela Gann of Claremont McKenna. Trying to craft a story involving all seven was a daunting task. Rather, I have managed to craft one featuring Pomona and Claremont McKenna.
A young Pomona alumnus was enjoying a stroll in the park with her friend from Claremont McKenna. They heard a voice coming from under a log. Upon investigating, they discovered the voice was from a frog: "Help me! I am actually an investment banker who was turned into a frog by an evil witch. But if one of you will kiss me, I'll turn back into being a senior partner at JP Morgan!"
They considered the proposition. The think-out-of-the-box Pomona alumnus grabbed the frog and stuffed it inside her handbag. Her business-savvy friend from Claremont McKenna was aghast: "Didn't you hear him? If you kiss him, he'll turn back into a filthy rich banker! He can reward us with lots of money!" The Pomona alumnus replied: "I'm not taking a bet on his proposition. He could really be a senior partner from Bear Stearns. A talking frog is far more valuable and a much safer bet!"
I hope I didn't stir up any rivalry. After all, Claremont McKenna graduates are known to command the highest salaries among the Claremont-ers. Fortunately, Chairman Robert Gipson, to my right, must have tremendous expertise in managing rivalry and balancing aspirations of the magnificent seven.
On behalf of the National University of Singapore (NUS), it is my great pleasure to extend a very warm welcome to our distinguished guests from the Claremont Colleges. I trust that you found your interactions and discussions here to be rewarding. For those visiting Singapore for the first time, I hope that our little island has lived up to expectations and you've enjoyed a uniquely Singapore experience.
I'm delighted that our friends from the Nanyang Technological University, the Singapore Management University and UniSIM are also here with us this evening.
My colleagues and I are fortunate that through this academic outreach, we have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the Claremont Colleges and your diverse accomplishments, particularly in the liberal arts, science, business and the arts.
Both the Claremont Colleges and Singapore's universities seek to prepare our students for the global economy, equipping them with a competitive edge in our culturally complex world. Claremont's magnificent seven – Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Claremont McKenna Colleges as well as Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute – combine their diverse strengths to offer a small residential campus experience with the extensive resources of a large university. For instance, Claremont students enjoy access to a sizeable Central Library typical of your UC neighbors. You have also the Bridges Auditorium, known for being among the finest concert halls in Southern California.
Just as Bridges Auditorium brings together students from all seven Claremont Colleges, we also need bridges. Bridges – across continents, cultures and disciplines – enable institutions to leverage distinctive and complementary strengths to deliver impact in education and research. Building bridges with universities, both in Singapore and abroad, has enabled Singapore universities to enrich our students' educational experience and nurture global perspectives.
One dimension where NUS has taken a leaf from liberal arts colleges such as the Claremont Colleges is our University Scholars Program (USP). Like Claremont-ers, our USP students take courses spanning the arts and humanities, social and natural sciences, business and technology. The collision of ideas and concepts from different disciplines promotes a spirit of inquiry and enterprise, enabling them to think outside of the box, just like Claremont-ers.
Claremont students also enjoy an enriching residential campus experience complemented by close mentorships amid an intimate and supportive atmosphere. We have taken a leaf from Claremont in developing an integrated learning and living environment.
Our Prime Minister recently broke ground for the physical development of an initiative we call University Town built around residential colleges. These residential colleges will be home to a global mix of students and faculty. It is envisaged that more than a third of the residents will come from around the world, facilitating peer learning across disciplines, cultures and continents. By integrating the intellectual and social spaces, University Town seeks to catalyze a transformative educational experience for our students.
Located at University Town is CREATE – the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise. This initiative will bring the world's top minds from leading institutions like MIT and ETH to work with faculty and students from Singapore-based institutions. The CREATE campus will create opportunities for our students to hang out, share meals, and rub shoulders with top minds, including Nobel Laureates.
University Town will be the Youth Olympic Village for the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010. I believe the central feature of University Town – of ample space and rich opportunities for students to interact and learn from one another, like in the Claremont residence halls – can help realize the International Olympic Council's vision to "create a true community for young people to participate in sport, to learn, and to share experiences with their peers". University Town represents NUS' contribution to the national effort to bring this unprecedented event to Singapore.
With this, I shall round off my remarks and make way for Prof David Oxtoby, President of Pomona College, to say a few words.
Let me say how much we at NUS have enjoyed hosting you on our campus. We hope to welcome our friends from the Claremont Colleges to Singapore and NUS again, hopefully sometime in the near future.
Thank you.
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