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Singapore Prime Minister launches Yale-NUSSingapore’s first liberal arts college, the Yale-NUS College, was officially launched at NUS on 11April 2011 by the country’s Prime Minister, Mr LeeHsien Loong. A collaboration between NUS andYale University, this autonomous college of NUSis the first with a full residential college model,integrating living and learning; and the firstcampus outside New Haven, Connecticut,that Yale University has set up.Groundbreaking initiative“The Yale-NUS College will be a strategic additionto our university sector. It will offer anotherdistinctive educational experience for topstudents, with its model of liberal arts educationthat is contextualised to Singapore and Asia.”– Dr Ng Eng HenPM Lee and Dr Ng Eng Hen, Singapore’sMinister for Education and SecondMinister for Defence, witnessed theofficial signing of the agreement on theCollege between NUS President Prof TanChorh Chuan and Yale President ProfRichard C Levin. Following the signing, PMLee also unveiled an architectural modelof the Yale-NUS College.Expressing firm support from theSingapore government for the project,PM Lee added that “Among Asiancountries, Singapore is probably the leastdissimilar in ethos to Western societies ...It’s a society within which a liberal artscollege can blossom and grow and help usto adapt to the changing world.”UNVEILING THE CAMPUS MODEL: (From left) Dr Ng,Prof Levin, PM Lee, NUS Chairman Mr Wong Ngit Liong,and Prof TanKNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE2Noting that the College will develop students whocan think rigorously and broadly, make connectionsacross different domains of knowledge, andalso a difference in the world, he felt that thesegraduates will be valuable for Singapore in a morecomplex and inter-connected world.Momentous developmentLandmark collaboration“We are breaking new ground, and therefore wehave to get the key pieces together in the rightconfiguration to deliver a successful College.Most important are the two partners – Yaleand NUS – who bring critical strengths to thecollaboration. Yale is widely regarded as one ofthe top universities in the world. The Collegewill benefit from Yale’s longstanding leadershipand deep understanding of USliberal arts education. NUS hasalso developed distinctiveglobal and Asian strengthsand reputation, whichthe College can take fulladvantage of.” – PM LeeHsien LoongSINGAPORE’S FIRST LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE: The Yale-NUSCollege was officially launched by PM LeeCutting-edge innovation“The Yale-NUS partnership allows us to re-imagineliberal education for a new century and build acollege literally ‘from the ground up.’ We expectthat the curricular and extracurricular innovationsintroduced in the college will spread back to Yaleand other campuses. We also believe the newcollege can have a profound impact on theadvances now being made in higher educationthroughout Asia.” – Prof Richard C LevinPRESS BRIEFING: (From left) Yale Vice President andSecretary Ms Linda Lorimer, Prof Levin, Prof Tan, NUS VicePresident (University and Global Relations) Prof Lily KongFar-reaching influence“I believe the College can really make a strongcontribution to enhancingthe talent pool so critical forSingapore, and help Singaporefurther its reputation as a majorcentre for higher educationglobally. I hope the College’sunique approach will serve as acatalyst and model for new thinking andinnovation in liberal arts education in Asia andglobally.” – Prof Tan Chorh Chuan

CollegeDistinctive programmeBuilding upon the best traditions of liberal artseducation, the College will have four distinctivefeatures:The new curriculum will synthesise Western andAsian perspectives with an integrated generaleducation spanning the first two years of studybefore concentration on a major.The pedagogy will emphasise critical thinking andclassroom interaction. Most classes will be taughtin seminar style with 18 or fewer students.The students will live in residential colleges,devoted to creating a sense of community whereliving and learning are intentionally integrated.Main Campus EntranceA rich array of extracurricular activities will focusparticularly on developing leadership skills andteamwork and also encouraging community service.At the end of their four-year programme, studentswill graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Science(Honours) from the Yale-NUS College, awardedby NUS.World-class campusLocated to the north of NUS’ main campus atKent Ridge, the Yale-NUS College campus isdesigned jointly by award-winning architectsKieranTimberlake and Pfeiffer Partners in theUnited States, and Forum Architects in Singapore.Dining Hall of Residential College 1Headed by a College President, it will comprisethree residential colleges, each housing 330students and led by a Rector. The College Presidentand some of the faculty members will also livein the residential colleges, ensuring abundantopportunities for informal interactions amongCollege leaders, professors and students.Facilities at the residential colleges include dininghalls that will be the hub for residential life forstudents and faculty, as well as classrooms andseminar rooms with state-of-the-art technology.Each residential college will have student meetingspaces, a Common Room, a student-run buttery andspaces where student enterprises can be developed.Interior Courtyard Garden of Residential College 1Global opportunitiesA unique feature of the rich and diverse curriculumat Yale-NUS College is that its students will havethe opportunity to go abroad at least onceduring their four-year experience. They will enjoyopportunities to spend time overseas in academicexchange programmes, internships, researchattachments, and community service activities.Some students will be able to spend a year atYale, while others will attend summerprogrammes there.The Yale-NUS College has also received strongsupport from numerous partners over the lastfew months. To date, more than 30 Singaporeand global partners have already committed toLearning Commons of Yale-NUS College’s Academic Coreproviding local and global internship opportunitiesto students when the College opens its doorsin 2013. Among them are companies andorganisations such as American Express, Chanel,The Coca-Cola Company, Google, Microsoft,Singapore Airlines, Singapore Exchange Limited,United Nations, and the World Wildlife Fund.APRIL 20113

NUS sets up overseas college in IsraelStudents interested in the NUS OverseasColleges (NOC) programme which promotesentrepreneurship, now have one more countryoption to choose from. In addition to NOCs inBeijing, India, Philadelphia, Shanghai, SiliconValley and Stockholm, NUS has launched its7th overseas college in yet another globalentrepreneurial hub – Israel.An inaugural batch of 10 students will be selectedfor a six-month internship, commencing in July2011, in a start-up, Venture Capital or SmallMedium Enterprise in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel.To prepare them for this stint, the students will beinvolved in a series of workshops where they willlearn about the opportunities and challenges ofliving and working in Israel.Explaining why Israel is a choice site for the latestNOC, Director of NOC Assoc Prof Teo Chee Leongsaid that Israel has the highest density of techstart-ups in the world and that these start-upsattract more venture capital dollars per personthan any country. He also noted that Israel hasmore companies listed on the Nasdaq than anycountry outside the United States, and that Israelidesignedtechnology is widely employed by majortechnology leaders such as Intel, Microsoft, Google,Cisco and Motorola.Photo: Will Kirk/JHU Homewood PhotographyWorld’s first international joint degreein musicWhile exchanges between music colleges ofdifferent countries are not uncommon, jointdegrees offered by such partners are rare indeed.The NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music(YSTCM) and the Peabody Institute at The JohnsHopkins University (JHU) inked an agreement tooffer a Joint Bachelor of Music Degree programmefrom August this year. This will be the firstinternational undergraduate conservatory musicprogramme of its kind in the world.FURTHERING THE PARTNERSHIP: (From left)Mr Sharkey, Dr Minor, Prof Daniels, Prof Tan C.C,Prof Tan E C and Prof Lanskey at the signingceremonyHe was speaking at the signing ceremony held inNew York City on 9 March 2011, where he was awitness, together with JHU President Prof RonaldJ Daniels, Director of YSTCM Prof Bernard Lanskey,and Director of the Peabody Institute Mr JeffreySharkey. NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs)and Provost Prof Tan Eng Chye and JHU Provostand Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs DrLloyd B Minor signed the agreement.Prior to the signing ceremony, a joint concert washeld by the two music schools in Carnegie Hall,New York, in celebration of the 10th anniversaryof the NUS-Peabody partnership. Eleven students(five from YSTCM and six from the PeabodyInstitute) and a faculty member gave a 90-minuteperformance before a 200-strong audience. Thiswas the first joint performance by both institutionsat Carnegie Hall.Said Prof Daniels of JHU: “This concert celebrates adecade of extraordinary partnership between NUSand Johns Hopkins University. What a wonderfulexpression of the cross-cultural collaboration thatis so significant to both our institutions and to theworld of music.”KNOWLEDGE ENTERPRISE4Students will attend classes at boththe Singapore and the United States’Baltimore campuses, and spend three outof eight semesters in the host institution.Three to five top students from eachinstitute will be accepted into the fouryearprogramme.“This joint music degree programmewill give our students a truly globalexperience as well as uniqueopportunities to study in two outstandinginstitutions at opposite ends of theplanet, and it enables our conservatoriesto stand out in the world of music. Itadds, I believe, a truly new dimension toour partnership, which I hope will openup even more opportunities for furthercollaboration and impact,” said NUSPresident Prof Tan Chorh Chuan.Photo: Will Kirk/JHU Homewood PhotographyMAKING MUSIC: Director of Chamber Music of the Peabody InstituteMr Michael Kannen (second from right) with students from Peabodyand YSTCM performing at Carnegie Hall

PM Lee speaks on leadership renewalin the Singapore governmentIn order to maintain the virtuous circle of politicalstability, good governance, economic and socialsuccess, Singapore cannot switch to auto-piloteven though it is in a much stronger positiontoday than before. The country will continue toface challenges, internally and externally, andneeds to find the best crew, carefully chart themost promising course forward, and work hardtogether so as to soar higher and faster towardsa brighter future. These were pointsmade by Singapore Prime MinisterLee Hsien Loong, who was speakingon “Leadership Renewal – the FourthGeneration and Beyond” at thisyear’s Kent Ridge Ministerial Forumorganised by the NUS Students’Political Association on 5 April 2011.Highlighting the importance ofleadership succession, he noted thatthis will be a major issue in Singapore’sGeneral Election 2011. “We have topress hard on leadership renewal now,so that by 2020, we will have a youngerteam ready, not just to maintain ourpresent high standards but take this asfoundation to fly even higher and doeven better,” he told the 1,200-strongaudience at the University CulturalCentre.He said that candidates whom the People’s ActionParty (PAP) are looking for are those with abilityand integrity, who care about Singapore andare committed to the country, as well as able tocontribute and connect with people.PM Lee expressed confidence in the new candidateswhom the PAP would be fielding for the GeneralElection. The candidates were chosen from over200 people. “I am proud of our new candidates,individually and collectively. We will give themresponsibilities to test their mettle and ability tosolve problems for the people; and over the next 20years or so, some of them will be playing key rolesin Singapore,” he said.IN THE HOT SEAT: PM Lee during the Q&A sessionmoderated by 4th year Law student Ng Pei YiOn the possibility of a two-party system inSingapore, PM Lee explained that the key reasonwhy it would not work was the lack of talent toform two “A teams”. He stressed that the way tosafeguard Singapore’s future would be to have oneA team, to strengthen it and give it the best chanceof succeeding.We have to continue renewing our politicalleadership. You look at me and ask what I amgoing to do and I look back at you, the studentsparticularly, and I would say it also depends on you,the Singaporeans amongst you.– PM LeePM Lee later fielded numerousquestions from the student audiencewhich touched on issues such aswhether the PAP should let leadersemerge organically instead of pickingor earmarking them, how to attracttalent from the private sector tojoin the civil service, the GroupRepresentation Constituency system,opposition candidates and wards,and high ministerial salaries.KEEN PARTICIPANTS: PM Lee surrounded bystudents eager to seek his views on variousissues even after the forumAn annual event, the Kent RidgeMinisterial Forum aims to promotepolitical awareness among tertiarystudents in Singapore by offeringthem the opportunity to engage indialogue with prominent politicalfigures and listen to their views on topics ofnational and international interest.APRIL 20115