The SMU Annual Report to Stakeholders 2013/14 is now available to download here. This is what Alan Goh, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing, wrote in his Editor's Note.

My Editor’s Note for last year’s Annual Report to Stakeholders introduced the visionary article written by the Chairman of SMU Board of Trustees, Mr Ho Kwon Ping. His essay, “The Challenges Ahead”, argued that SMU needs to evolve to stay on the edge and to always consider itself a work in progress, no matter how successful the University has become. He also urged the SMU community to be prepared in order to turn a vision into reality.

Since then he had, together with our Board of Trustees and senior leaders, debated vigorously before endorsing a bold and exciting SMU Vision 2025. To achieve its objective of becoming a great university, it requires the institution to be a game-changer in education, a catalyst in cutting-edge research and an exemplar as a leading city university in Asia. Already, the transformative process is off to a quick start with several initiatives being launched (see “President’s State of the University Address 2014: Vision 2025 – Making it Real”).

Research that is relevant and makes a positive impact on society is one of the priorities in Vision 2025, and our six Schools are already delivering significant results. “SMU Makes its Mark in Research” outlines several of our most recent successes in this area.

President Professor De Meyer led several of our Deans and senior professors in participating in the thought leadership programme on global issues called “Perspectives”. This is one of the highlights in our feature, “Thoughts that Count”.

Rounding off the 2013/14 Annual Report to Stakeholders are six sections on key initiatives, achievements and events by our students, staff and faculty – Upfront, All Rounder, Heart of the Matter, On the World Stage, The Next Big Thing and Financial Review.

Our Stakeholders Report theme for 2011/2012 was “Want Something, Do Something”, evolving in 2012/ 2013 into “Thinking Differently” and culminating in 2013/2014 into “Thinking A Step Ahead”. It completes a trilogy of our thinking process and our aspiration of a university that is determined to make a difference.

I hope you will enjoy reading this year’s sequel.

Alan Goh Vice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing