A cacophony of music, laughter and chatter filled the air as more than 900 alumni and their families converged at SMU Campus Green for their first homecoming on 16 August 2014.

Since its founding in 2000, 11 batches, or over 14,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students have passed through the halls of the University. The celebration marked the gathering of all alumni from all cohorts to come together to rediscover SMU and relive some of the best years of their lives. Some of the alumni flew in from around the region, including Bangalore, Beijing, Jakarta, Shanghai and Yangon, for the occasion.

SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer, members of SMU senior management, staff, faculty and current students joined the alumni for an afternoon of fun and festivities.

In his address, Chairman Ho Kwon Ping said, “Today is really a major milestone for SMU because it is not a milestone about buildings, bricks and mortar, but a milestone about people. I have been waiting for this day to happen when we can have an alumni day to honour the pioneer alumni to come back after 10 years, as well as the subsequent batches of graduates. The culture that SMU is going to build will now finally be shaped as much by students and faculty as by our alumni. As we enter into a new stage of development, there are many challenges ahead, so we will be reaching out to our alumni to seek your views and input, because you will always remain a part of the SMU Community. As we evolve over time, we welcome your active participation because this school belongs to all of you.”

SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer added, “Our alumni has helped SMU in many different ways, usually by giving their time in recruitment and mentoring, so today’s event is really for them, to thank them for their many contributions to SMU.”       

[Photo: SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer (5th from left) doing the iconic SMU Jump with some members of SMU alumni at the first SMU Alumni Day.]

Themed ‘Celebrating U’, the event saw an exciting line-up of activities, including music from SMU’s very own talent 7 till Dawn, and our alumni samba group Sambiest. There were also campus tours, and parallel ‘Back-to-School’ sessions conducted by SMU faculty members Ang Ser Keng and Michael Benoliel.

In addition, the pioneer cohort Class of 2004 and the Class of 2009 celebrated the 10^th and 5^th anniversary of their graduation respectively.

The highlight of SMU Alumni Day was the presentation of the inaugural SMU Alumni Awards to celebrate and recognise the achievements of SMU alumni in their fields of specialisation either locally or internationally, as well as to appreciate their significant contribution to the University and the wider community.

[Photo: Recipients of the inaugural SMU Alumni Awards were: (back row, from left): Wong Hur Ming, Kaushal Dugar, Tim Moh Hui, Sim Chin Ta;  (front row, from left): Nicholas Poon Guo Kun, Lim Kexin, Melissa Ho Mei Xuan, Calvin Quek Shao-Ming. [Nadir Zafar, a recipient of SMU Pride Award, was unable to attend the ceremony in person to collect the award.]

The SMU Alumni Awards have three categories: the SMU Rising Star Award, the SMU Pride Award, and the SMU Spirit Award. Three winners were identified for each category this year.

The SMU Rising Star Award recognises established and future leaders among SMU’s alumni, who epitomise the potential of SMU CIRCLE values (Commitment, Integrity, Responsibility, Collegiality, Leadership and Excellence) by achieving extraordinary sustained excellence in their chosen profession and/or have made a significant impact through their service to society. The winners were:

-         Ms Lim Kexin, Technical Advisor at PwC Indonesia, and a winner of the Young Accountants of the Year in the inaugural Singapore Accountancy Awards organised by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) last week.

-         Mr Kaushal Dugar, Founder and CEO of Teabox, an online tea retailing business that aims to disrupt the 200-year old tea industry in India;

-         Mr Calvin Quek Shao-Ming, former banker, now the Head of Sustainability Finance Program at Greenpeace East Asia.

Said Kexin, “Given the many superstars in SMU's ever-growing community, I am humbled to be honoured as one of her 'Rising Stars'. There is this sense of pride and responsibility that the university is constantly rooting for us, long after we leave campus. It further reaffirms my belief (and I hope, inspires my peers and juniors) that even while balancing a dynamic career, we can truly make a difference, one day at a time.

“My fondest memories of SMU are the times my friends and I spent sharing our dreams, perfecting our presentations and preparing for our next student life adventure. Being part of the School of Accountancy's pioneer class made us feel that anything was possible. We paved the way. Those SMU days gave us the courage to dream, resilience to overcome challenges and the skills to face the future. Those are the memories and lessons I will never forget.”

The SMU Pride Award is presented to alumni who have rendered exceptional leadership and service to SMU. It recognises their voluntary service to SMU, including but not limited to their involvement in alumni groups, international chapters, mentoring programmes, volunteer support of university, schools and centres, and the SMU Alumni Association. The winners of this award were:

-         Mr Tim Mou Hui, who initiated the Social Sciences Conference while a student at SMU School of Social Sciences;

-         Mr Wong Hur Ming, who has served 7 years in the SMU Alumni Association, of which he served two terms as President, and is currently leading the SMU Alumni Mutual Funds Interest Group; 

-         Mr Nadir Zafar, a founding member of the SMU Alumni Association in 2004 and currently the President of the SMU Alumni Association UAE chapter.

Nadir Zafar said, “I am most thankful to SMU for the opportunities it gave me. I was able to take on entrepreneurial and leadership roles at the university whether as an member of the first Students Association, or as head of the first Business Committee or founder of several clubs and associations - all these were valuable experiences where I learnt a lot. The project work component in the classroom was also very useful for me - I made it a point to work in different groups for every class so as to learn to deal with different types of personalities. This has helped me understand people better.

“Overseas exposure was one of the things that differentiates SMU and I grabbed at those opportunities while at university. I travelled on board the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth programme, did an exchange programme in Denmark, internship in Thailand, Business Study Mission in India and participated in international debating competitions. It was an eye opener and piqued my interest in other cultures and people. My love for travel continues to today.”

The SMU Spirit Award honours alumni who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and continued service to SMU student life. It recognises their passion and commitment in being a part of the growth and success of their respective CCA clubs, as well as the University and the student community. The winners were:

-         Ms Melissa Ho Mei Xuan who serves as an instructor and mentor for the SMU Climb Team;

-         Mr Nicholas Poon Guo Kun, a Senior Justices’ Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of Singapore and adjunct faculty at SMU School of Law, who coaches SMU moot teams for competitions;

-         Mr Sim Chin Ta, who choreographs and directs the SMU Caderas Latinas (Salsa Team) to win international competitions.

[Photo: Besides the opportunity to bond with the University and fellow alumni, the SMU Alumni Day also provided the perfect platform for family bonding.]

Mr Edmund Bek, who graduated in 2009 from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, said “The Back-To-School sessions were informative and engaging. We had a great time catching up with our friends and course mates, as well as the opportunity to revisit the Campus that is still so very dear to all of us. The event offered the perfect opportunity for us to relax on a Saturday afternoon chilling out to the music, enjoying the champagne, reminiscing about the past, exchanging stories about our families and careers, and making new friends.”

[Featured photo: (1st to 3rd from left) SMU Senior Advisor Prof Tan Chin Tiong, former SMU President Prof Howard Hunter, SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer, and (6th from left) SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping, with winners of the inaugural SMU Alumni Awards at the first SMU Alumni Day.]