[6 December 2010]
SMU appoints James T.H. Tang as Social Sciences Dean
International relations expert and well-known scholar on Chinese foreign policy and international politics in Asia-Pacific, Professor James T.H. Tang of the University of Hong Kong will take up position in SMU from January 2011
Singapore, 6 Dec 2010 (Monday) – The Singapore Management University (SMU) has appointed Professor James T.H. Tang (???) from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) as Dean of the School of Social Sciences from 1 January 2011. Currently a Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at HKU, Professor Tang, 53, has served in senior management and leadership positions at the university. He was Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at HKU from 2002 to 2006, and prior to that, Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at HKU from 1999 to 2002.
A widely recognised scholar in international relations, Professor Tang's research work focuses on three key areas: China's foreign policy and its role in the world; non-traditional security issues facing East Asia (studying the emergence of new threats to human societies such as terrorism, environmental degradation and public health); and Hong Kong's political transition with an eye on its external dimension. In 2008, Professor Tang was named the most influential international relations scholar on Hong Kong's external relations in the last 20 years according to a 10-country survey of international relations faculty by the Teaching Research and International Policy project at the Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, College of William and Mary. He is presently Director of HKU's Master of International and Public Affairs programme, which he founded.
Professor Tang completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Hong Kong before obtaining his Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Cambridge and his Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. In 2002, he completed a Management and Leadership in Education programme at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.
Well-regarded and highly connected with the international academic community, Professor Tang began his academic career at the National University of Singapore and held visiting appointments at leading universities in China, the United Kingdom and United States as well as a visiting fellowship at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C.
A well sought after speaker in many international conferences, Professor Tang has published extensively in his field and served on the editorial boards of a number of academic journals, including Asia Politics and Policy, China Public Administration Review, International Affairs of the Asia-Pacific, Journal of East Asian Studies, Political Science, and The Pacific Review.
He also has been active in policy research. In addition to his work at the renowned Brookings Institution, he has participated in projects sponsored by the United Nations, the Hong Kong Government and business organisations. Outside of the halls of academe, Professor Tang has served as member of Hong Kong's Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee; member of the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation; and Chief Examiner for Advanced Level Examination on Government and Public Affairs for the Hong Kong Examination Authority.
SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer says: “Professor Tang is an acclaimed scholar in international relations with more than 20 years of experience in research and teaching. Some of his major accomplishments as Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Hong Kong include a major reform of the curriculum, introducing a multidisciplinary approach to teaching and research, recruiting top-tier international faculty, securing funding for research scholarship in the social sciences and propelling the school into a top ranked social science college. He shares our vision of promoting broad-based education, cross-disciplinary research, the development of postgraduate programmes and life-long learning. We are happy that he has come on board to share his teaching and vast experience with us. I also want to thank Interim Dean Professor Winston Koh for his able leadership of the School of Social Sciences and for his continuing contributions to the overall growth and development of SMU.”
Dean-designate of SMU's School of Social Sciences, Professor James T.H. Tang says: “SMU is fast emerging as one of Asia's more well-regarded management universities known for its innovativeness in both research and teaching. It is a forerunner in the region to champion a pedagogy based on a holistic, interdisciplinary curriculum and interactive seminar-style teaching. Its School of Social Sciences, in particular, has been progressive in launching a new University Scholars Programme inspired by a multidisciplinary, broad based approach to education. I share the belief in the advantage of a more broad-based undergraduate education where we nurture our students to be future leaders through a well-rounded and holistic learning experience. The School challenges students to widen their intellect through a deeper understanding of the critical issues in our rapidly changing world within a multi-disciplinary academic environment.
I am excited to lead a dynamic team of excellent scholars who are dedicated to building up the School of Social Sciences at SMU into a prominent and innovative institution of social sciences education and research in the Asia-Pacific.”
Professor Tang plans to harness his knowledge of international relations and China to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of China's rise on the region and globally and to strengthen the School's existing expertise on China and Asia.
He says: “I hope the School, with its multidisciplinary strength, can produce more scholarly work to address the many global problems we face today such as environmental degradation, global poverty, cultural conflicts and violence; problems that are affecting everyone everywhere.”
Click Annex 1 for his full curriculum vitae.
Click Annex 2 for background of School of Social Sciences.