The Singapore Management University (SMU) has received a S$3 million donation from the Ngee Ann Kongsi, becoming the first local university to receive contributions from the Teochew charitable organisation ever since Parliament passed the amendment to the Ngee Ann Kongsi (Incorporation) Ordinance on 17 July 2007 to allow the philanthropic foundation more flexibility to give to other educational institutions and charities. In recognition of the generous gift, SMU has named in perpetuity its 300-seater conference hall – the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium – and will launch a new series of annual lectures called the ‘Ngee Ann Kongsi Annual Lecture Series'.

At a ceremony today, Guest-of-Honour Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister of State for Education and Manpower, unveiled the plaque for the newly christened Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium together with Mr Teo Chiang Long, President of the Ngee Ann Kongsi. The Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium, formerly known as the SMU Conference Hall 2, is a state-of-the-art lecture hall equipped with multimedia facilities and furnished with disabled-friendly seats. Located on the second level of the School of Accountancy / School of Law, it has hosted numerous university-wide events, public lectures, forums and corporate events such as the Presidential Distinguished Lecturer Series, the Lien Fung's Colloquium, the Lee Kong Chian Ministerial Forum, the President's State of the University Address and the Climate Change Forum. In its brief history of two years, the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium has been the venue for important government and private conferences attended by Singapore and foreign ministers, ambassadors, prominent business leaders and academic luminaries.

Commencing in 2008, the Ngee Ann Kongsi Annual Lecture Series will provide a platform for industry leaders and eminent scholars of international renown to share their knowledge and perspectives with an audience as diverse as pre-university students, undergraduates and faculty of SMU, executives and civic leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials and other interested members of the Singapore community. The lecture series will feature speakers who are leading voices in the debate on global issues that are shaping the future of business, society and the environment. It will be conducted in the newly named Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium.

Mr Teo Chiang Long (张昌隆), President (总理) of Ngee Ann Kongsi said: “Education remains the founding spirit and cornerstone of Ngee Ann Kongsi and we have dedicated ourselves to supporting the education of all strata of the Singapore community. SMU has distinguished itself remarkably in seven years from a young upstart to a leading university strongly rooted in innovative pedagogy, social consciousness and global exposure. We are happy for this opportunity to be a partner in contributing to university excellence and shaping young visionary leaders out of SMU.”

Professor Howard Hunter, President of SMU said: “As the Ngee Ann Kongsi redefines its philanthropic mission in the education sector, SMU is honoured to be the first university to benefit from the extension of the foundation's largesse to an even wider spectrum of educational and charitable institutions in Singapore. We are proud that a key campus venue and its future use for the new lecture series will bear the Kongsi's name in perpetuity, as an enduring tribute to its heritage as an advocate and champion of education.”

The S$3 million endowed contribution by the Ngee Ann Kongsi will be matched dollar for dollar by the Singapore government, adding a total of S$6 million to the SMU Endowment Fund.