SMU is the only public university which has community service involvement as a graduation requirement. SMU has nurtured 10,000 graduates since its establishment in 2000, but seven students did not complete their degree as they did not meet this requirement. During an Our Singapore Conversation dialogue session held on Monday, Minister Heng shared how SMU takes a serious approach towards community service. Minister Heng found that while some students initially felt ‘compelled’ to do community service, they eventually came to realise its significance. SMU Vice Provost (Undergraduate) and Dean of School of Accountancy, Professor Pang Yang Hoong, said that most students begin community service from their first or second year of study, and the vast majority are able to complete their required community service hours well within three-and-a-half to four years. The university monitors the progress of each student, and would suggest possible non-profit or community organisations that they can volunteer with. However, there are still a very small number of students who are unwilling to participate in community service. Professor Pang said: “Despite our counselling and assistance to suggest possible opportunities, there would inevitably be some individuals who are apathetic and indifferent towards community service.” Last year, about 4,800 SMU students were actively involved in various community service endeavours. Two-third of the students contributed locally, while the rest were involved in about 200 projects in 21 countries across Asia. From 2000 to 2012, SMU students have rendered more than 1.5 million hour of community service in total. Li Hongrui, 20, a second year student at the SMU School of Social Sciences, has always been passionate about community service, and has already completed over 600 hours of community service work to date.