[10 June 1999]
SMU To Award Own Degree

1. The Singapore Management University (SMU) will award its own degree from the first batch of graduates. In 2000, the first intake for its Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) degree will be 300.

2. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Dr Tony Tan made this announcement on 10 June 1999 at the signing ceremony of the Wharton-SMU Research Center Collaboration Agreement. He explained that this decision was made by MOE in view of the strong involvement of the Wharton School in the academic and institutional development of SMU. Two recent developments are evidence of Wharton's commitment in the development of SMU - the appointment of a senior Wharton academic as SMU's first President, and the establishment of the Wharton-SMU Research Center.

SMU's President
3. SMU's first President will be Professor Janice Bellace, currently the Deputy Dean of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She has accepted the appointment of President of SMU for a two-year term with effect from 1 July 1999. 4. Professor Bellace is the Samuel A. Blank Professor of Legal Studies and a Professor of Management at the Wharton School. Professor Bellace is Chairman of the SMU Academic Committee that is developing the curriculum for SMU's undergraduate degree programme. As President, Professor Bellace will chair SMU's Academic Committee and the Selection Committee for Academic Staff. When she assumes her new duties as President of SMU, Professor Bellace will relinquish her appointment as Deputy Dean of the Wharton School but will continue to be a tenured member of the Wharton faculty. A brief curriculum vitae of Professor Bellace is enclosed.

Wharton-SMU Research Center
5. SMU will be collaborating with the Wharton School to set up the Wharton-SMU Research Center. The main objective of the Center is to establish a strong Wharton-SMU presence in the arena of international business research, with specific focus on the Asian region. This will include research on regional issues and the impact of global issues on the region. The Center will mount joint research projects either singly or jointly amongst SMU and Wharton faculty. The Center will also offer postgraduate programmes by research. Funding for the Center will come from industry and the Government. The first Director of the Center will be Professor Janice Bellace