· Higher Education Planning in Asia Forum was held in Singapore for the first time

· Senior university planners and administrators across Asia shared ideas and best practices so as to strengthen their planning capabilities

Singapore Management University hosted the 4th Higher Education Planning in Asia (HEPA) Forum 2015 on 23-24 March which was held in Singapore for the first time.

Organised by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with a group of Asian institutional planners, the HEPA Forum provides a platform for senior university planners and administrators across Asia to come together to interact, share best practices, and network, so as to strengthen the planning capabilities of higher education organisations across Asia.

The theme of the 2015 Forum was "Planning in a Rapidly Changing Environment".

In his Opening Address, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer noted five trends of a rapidly changing environment that would impact the work of higher education planners.

First, the way young people learn today is very different from the past. Where professors used to be sources and disseminator of knowledge, they are now more likely to be a facilitator of thinking due to the easy accessibility of data and information. Therefore, the role of professors is gradually changing to help students structure the way they think. As a consequence, there is a lot more emphasis on experience-based learning or project-based learning. “To this end, SMU has created SMU-X which provides an environment conducive to experience-based learning. New courses are being planned where real world problems of societies and businesses are brought into classrooms and students explore interdisciplinary solutions. Faculty members become facilitators of lessons rather than teachers,” he said. 

Secondly, the job market is also changing rapidly. Many jobs that are available now did not exist 10 years ago. Similarly, we do not know what jobs would come into being a decade from now. As such, universities need to prepare their students for life-long learning, and make sure they are able to adjust to changes in society to take on new jobs. President De Meyer said that a university has to think of what kind of educational products and services to provide its students in their ongoing learning journey.

Thirdly, universities used to be very good at disciplinary research, but the world is now moving towards interdisciplinary research which are aligned to the needs of societies. President De Meyer observed that universities are under pressure to shorten the time between discovery and practical utilisation of the new ideas. He opined that the impact of interdisciplinary research could be summed up in 4 ‘R’s: rigour, relevance, revealing and reach.

Fourth, President De Meyer shared that societies make significant and increasing investment in universities and research, and want a return from their investment in higher education. It is important for a university to be connected with its immediate community. To this end, SMU has opened up its space to its immediate larger community, and plans to do more to reach out to the society.

Fifth, the rise of the cost of providing university education is faster than GDP and inflation growth, this is not sustainable. A university needs to find new sources of revenue and new ways to improve productivity of its operations. 

[Photo: Chairman of A*STAR Lim Chuan Poh delivered the keynote address at the Forum.]

Keynote speaker Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, spoke on “Singapore’s Pursuit of University Excellence”. He traced the transformation of the Public Universities in Singapore to become Autonomous Universities (AUs). Having done so, the second step was to transform these AUs into globally competitive research intensive universities.

The Government of Singapore was keen to create greater diversity for Singaporeans in the university landscape. Hence, SMU was founded in 2000, followed by Singapore University of Technology and Design and Singapore Institute of Technology in 2009.  

Mr Lim said that Singapore has many of the elements in place to ensure that local universities can perform well in their role within the overall Research, Innovation and Enterprise ecosystem and make a greater impact, such as the presence of a dedicated intermediary to bridge the gap between academia and the industry, the promotion of industry-relevant training, and an open talent strategy.

He concluded by saying that the university sector has a pivotal role to play in Singapore’s long term aim to be one of the most research-intensive, innovative and entrepreneurial economies in the world in order to create high-value jobs and prosperity for Singaporeans.

[Photo: (R-L) SMU Provost Prof Rajendra K. Srivastava, NTU Provost Prof Freddy Boey, and NUS Provost Prof Tan Eng Chye participated in the panel discussion on “The Strategic Shifts Taking Place in the Higher Education Sector and Their Implications”, moderated by Jill Lerner, a Principal with Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates.]

[Photo: SMU Senior Vice President Sim Teow Hong delivered the welcome and closing remarks at the Forum.]

The two-day event attracted participation from universities from across the world, including Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University of Newcastle, University of Canterbury, University of New South Wales, Portland State University, Hokkaido University, and ShanghaiTech University.

The topics discussed were pertinent and wide-ranging, which included, ”Integrated Planning and Budgeting”, “Changes to University Funding”, “Planning for Pedagogical Innovation”, and “The Future of the University in the City”.