Singapore, 14 August 2015 (Friday) – Singapore Management University (SMU) welcomed its 16th cohort of 1960 freshmen at its Convocation Ceremony held at Suntec Convention Centre today. Starting 17 August, the new cohort will pursue degree programmes in accountancy, business management, economics, information systems management, law and social science. They will also have the opportunity to take up new offerings which are introduced for the first time in the forthcoming academic year. 

Sir John Hood, CEO & President of Robertson Foundation, was the Guest-of-Honour and delivered the Keynote Address. SMU Pro-Chancellor Mr J Y Pillay, SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping and SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer were also present to grace the event.

Transform into a DIFFERENT U

At the Convocation Ceremony, SMU Chairman, Mr Ho Kwon Ping, said that in addition to marking Singapore’s 50^th anniversary of independence through numerous activities, SMU has also been celebrating the 15th anniversary of its establishment. He said that SMU has employed and developed a different model since inception. A highly interactive pedagogy based on seminar style teaching in small-sized classes was introduced. SMU also set out to provide a holistic education that produces well-rounded graduates. “We taught business ethics to all our undergraduates; made community service a compulsory requirement; pushed for substantial internships; encouraged overseas exposure through overseas community service and internships, business study missions and student exchanges; and fostered a vibrant culture of co-curricular activities,” he said.

Chairman Ho also outlined the future taking shape at SMU: the construction of the new School of Law building; the redevelopment of Campus Green; the state-of-the art SMU Labs which, together with a major redevelopment of the Li Ka Shing Library, provide an extensive range and wide variety of spaces for collaborative learning and project work. “All this supports a newly revised curriculum which will evolve to more closely integrate academic development, personal development, and community engagement,” he added.

“SMU’s next growth phase will also include a stimulating environment to promote world-class research and increase research-based teaching that will make an impact on education, business and society,” added Chairman Ho.

In his speech, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer shared several statistics to illustrate SMU’s growing status and reputation in Singapore and on the world stage. “We have a network of 222 partner universities across the world, our faculty members hold PhDs or similar qualifications from 68 academic institutions and represent 30 different nationalities. As of last September, 11% of undergraduates were international students, from 25 different countries, and more than half of our postgraduates were international students from 34 countries. More than 86% of the graduating class of 2014 experienced some form of global exposure.”

Such perspective-broadening experiences complement SMU's interactive pedagogy and broad-based curriculum, which include fulfilling a compulsory 10-week internship and an 80-hour community service requirement. Since 2000, SMU students have rendered a total of more than 2.2 million hours of community service. The graduating cohort of 2014 contributed an average of close to 150 hours per person over their four years of study in SMU.

New curriculum and courses

Common Curriculum

The revamped common curriculum will be implemented in full in this academic year, following the introduction of a few new courses last year. SMU’s common curriculum serves as a fundamental body of knowledge to broaden students’ understanding of various disciplines and issues outside their area of specialisation. While the number of modules remains at 16, the common curriculum has been refreshed to provide sharper focus, greater depth and wider range of topics, thereby enhancing SMU’s distinctiveness and preparing our students to be future-ready.

For example, students will have to take up at least one module from the Asian Studies Cluster and one from Globalisation Studies Cluster so as to give them an appreciation of Asian historical experiences and development in tandem with global developments and issues. New to the curriculum, the Modes of Thinking Cluster draws from several disciplines to equip students with diverse thinking processes, and will include a course on Managing in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous Context. The other two clusters are Technology Studies Cluster and Entrepreneurship Cluster.

SMU-X Curriculum

SMU-X Curriculum will be officially launched in this academic year after a six-month pilot. Each SMU-X course combines academic with experiential learning through the heavy use of projects to challenge and inspire our students to use their disciplinary knowledge and skills in tackling multi-disciplinary, real issues faced by the partner organisations. The SMU-X courses to be introduced in this academic year are:

1. Intelligent Accounting Function

2. Internal Audit

3. Global Migration and Human Society

4. Public Policy Taskforce

5. Special Projects with International Organisations

6. Subjective Well-being

7. Business Capstone – The Design of Business

8. Advanced Seminar on Information Systems Management

9. Information Systems Application Project

10. Postmodern Theatre Studies                                                                      

New Courses

SMU schools are rolling out new courses in this academic year:

School of Accountancy

· Intelligent Accounting Function

Lee Kong Chian School of Business:

· Managing in a VUCA Context

· Storytelling for Brands and Organisations

· Media Psychology

· Financial Sector Development and Bank Management 

· Corporate Strategy

· International Corporate Governance & Strategy

· Legal Environment & Employee Relations

School of Economics:

· Globalisation of Trade and Finance

· Economic Growth

School of Information Systems:

· Internet of Things: Technology and Applications

·  Data Security & Privacy

School of Law:

· Evidence, Litigation & the Criminal Process

· International Financial Regulation

· Foreign Investment Law in China

School of Social Sciences

· Mass Media and Public Opinion Research

· Nation Building in Asia

· Political Sociology and Chinese Politics

Financial assistance and scholarships

SMU practises a ‘needs-blind’ admission policy where no deserving student will be deprived of an education because of financial hardship. Grants, bursaries, loans and scholarships are available for needy students, so that they can focus on their studies and enjoy an enriching educational journey at SMU. The University will set aside more than $2.5 million in financial aid to help all students through the SMU Financial Grant, SMU Bursary, Work Study Grant, SMU Education Loan and SMU Student Computer Loan. Including donor-supported schemes available to SMU students, the total financial aid available to needy students amounts to $5.4 million.

On average, one in 11 freshmen of the new intake will also stand a chance to be awarded a scholarship by the University. There are about 170 scholarships which freshmen can apply for. Some of these give preference to students with financial needs. All scholarships are bond-free.

Shaping students with a heart

Even ahead of the academic year, about 500 SMU freshmen have already participated in a series of student-led community service projects during the orientation period in July to early August 2015.

Through Inspirar 2015, students actively engaged and interacted with the elderly to promote active ageing and a healthy lifestyle. About 240 elderly from SilverACE Senior Activity Centre @ Lengkok Bahru, Apex Day Rehabilitation Centre for Elderly (ADRC), Fei Yue Community Services (Eldercare), Baptist Golden Age Home, Sunlove Home and Kolam Ayer Community Club were taught a ‘Resistance Band Exercise’ which SMU students had developed.  Furthermore, at a finale event held on 1 August at Kolam Ayer Community Club, the students recreated The Great World Amusement Park for about 120 elderly to relive their childhood memories.

In Kidleidoscope 2015, an annual project organised by SMU undergraduates to inspire children from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue their dreams by instilling confidence in them, SMU freshmen reached out to more than 180 children and youths from CARE Singapore, StagMatch and Singapore Association for the Deaf.  The project culminated in a fashion show where tie-dyed and silk-screened clothing created by the beneficiaries were showcased to the public to raise awareness.

As part of starringSMU 2015, freshmen organised various activities, including cleaning the homes of the elderly, befriending the children and elderly, and helping to spruce up the non-profit organisations’ premises, benefitting about 5,000 beneficiaries from organisations, including Singapore Christian Home, SWAMI Home, YWCA, Thye Hua Kwan Senior Activity Centre @ Henderson and Kits4Kits.  The project culminated with a charity carwash at Holland Village, through which the freshmen helped to raise over $23,000 for ‘My Buona Vista Place’, a one-stop centre for community integration and social welfare programmes reaching out to over 20,000 residents.

For more information, please contact

Teo Chang Ching (Mr)

Assistant Director

Corporate Communications

DID: 6828 0451

Email: ccteo [at] smu.edu.sg