Over 2,000 members of the SMU community came together on 17 January 2014 to mark the University’s 14^th birthday. It was the third time that Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam had graced the annual event as SMU’s Patron and he was treated, in the spirit of SMU, to celebrations with a unique twist.

In his Welcome Address, SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping explained, “Our theme for Patron’s Day this year is ‘Made in Singapore’. With this we look to the bigger canvas that is Singapore at large, to draw inspiration from aspects of Singapore life and culture and seek to highlight how SMU’s success is part of the larger Singapore story.” Mr Ho added that the concept made SMU’s Patron’s Day 2014 a precursor to Singapore’s 50^th Anniversary celebrations in 2015.

The whole day was the result of months of preparation by Office of Student Life, University Events team in the Office of Communications & Marketing and various student bodies, working together as a tightly knit team.

A tour of PD Village

Mr Ho’s address was made after President Tan had taken a tour of the Patron’s Day (PD) Village. In the first ‘street’ of the Village, students hosted booths showcasing co-curricular activity clubs, including the Sports Union, Gravical climbers, Zero Limits skaters and cyclists, SMUX extreme sports enthusiasts, Arts & Cultural Fraternity, International Connections, and Special Interest and Community Service Sodality. He then walked down the ‘food street’ with booths offering signature local dishes as well as ice cream with exotic flavours from the Milk & Honey chain set up by four SMU alumni.

For the first time, this year SMU had invited several major Singaporean brands to support the event as PD Partners. Each PD Partner hosted a booth which featured their latest products and services, offered gifts and engaged visitors with activities and competitions. Ms Chua Sock Koong, CEO of SingTel and Member or SMU’s Board of Trustees welcomed President Tan to the SingTel booth and personally explained the company’s News Loop service. PD Partners Frank by OCBC and NETS had together provided an innovative way for ‘purchases’ to be made on the day, using custom-made PD Cards – NETS FlashPay cards pre-loaded with 25 ‘FRANKs’. Other PD Partners OSIM demonstrated their massage chairs and equipment, MediaCorp invited visitors to join its MEclub and Banyan Tree showcased the award-winning Banyan Tree Spa and retail arm, Banyan Tree Gallery.

President Tony Tan (centre) samples tea at the booth of Patron’s Day Partner The Banyan Tree, with SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping (2nd from right).

The bustling PD Village also presented SMU Livelabs with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their latest mobile application, Smuddy Lite, which is an indoor localisation application that continuously tracks indoor locations on a large number of all Wi-Fi enabled devices. Mr Ho Kwon Ping described it as “an ingenious product that could, quite literally, put SMU on the map for technological and marketing innovation.”

The U+ARTS Show

U+ARTS is SMU’s Season of Arts, which takes place during each academic term throughout the year.

To kick start the season, The U+ARTS Show ran throughout the afternoon and evening of Patron’s Day and featured various student clubs and groups. To support the theme Made-In-Singapore, local acts like comedian Hossan Leong, singers MICappella and rock band The Sam Willows entertained the crowd. The SIA Cabin Crew Crew Performing Arts Circle and SMU dance group Eurhythmix performed when President Tan took a seat in front of the stage.

SMU dance group Eurhythmix performing as part of the U+ARTS Show. 

Dinner with the Dim Sum Dollies

President Tan, VIPs such as SMU donors and Members of the Board of Trustees, senior management and senior faculty members rounded off the evening with dinner in the Li Ka Shing Library. Towards the end of the meal the Dim Sum Dollies performed several hilarious satirical sketches which prompted SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer to comment in his speech that they are uniquely Singaporean and would make excellent SMU students. “They challenge preconceptions, are confident and articulate, outgoing and energetic, socially and ethically aware, culturally sensitive (well perhaps not), proactive and reactive,” he said. However, they would benefit greatly from SMU’s Finishing Touch programme on social and business etiquette, he quipped.

Featured photo: SMU Patron, Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam (centre) starting his tour of the Patron’s Day (PD) Village with Chair of the PD Organising Committee Lim Dao Hui (left) and SMU Students Association President Lim Ser Kiat (right).

International students pose as Singapore icons (left to right) a durian, the Merlion and Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.