SMU’s 16^th cohort of 1960 freshmen were joined by their family members and friends as well as the SMU Community for a memorable Convocation Ceremony at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre on 14 August 2015.

In his Opening Remarks, SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping said that in addition to marking Singapore’s 50th anniversary of independence through numerous activities, SMU has also been celebrating the 15th anniversary of its establishment. He spoke of how 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.

[Caption: SMU Chairman Ho Kwon Ping recounted some of SMU’s achievements, and the exciting developments taking shape.]

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.

[Caption: Sir John Hood to encouraged the freshmen to “commit to giving all it will take to obtain the most you possibly can from your time at this university”].

Guest-of-Honour Sir John Hood, CEO & President of Robertson Foundation, said in his Keynote Address that learning in SMU requires curiosity and humility, patience and perseverance, discipline and dedication. He encouraged the freshmen “to read widely; to participate in student clubs and societies; to attend special guest lectures; to learn from your classmates; to ask yourself the really difficult questions about the challenges and complexities of the world and to seek to understand more about them; to participate to the full in international exchange offerings; to take risks and (lawfully) to experiment with your talents; to learn from your mistakes and to celebrate your successes; to dedicate yourselves not only to preparing for an exciting and fulfilling professional life beyond, but also to developing your critical faculties and your creative talents, as well as a broad intellectual maturity, and an informed world-view.”

In his Welcome Address, 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.”

[Caption: Professor Lily Kong (holding the University Mace) joined SMU as our new Provost on 1 September 2015. Looking on were SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer (centre) and former SMU Provost Professor Rajendra Srivastava.]

A key moment of the Convocation Ceremony was the ceremonial handover of the University Mace by current Provost /Deputy President (Academic Affairs) Professor Rajendra Srivastava to Professor Lily Kong. Professor Srivastava joined SMU in 2008, and has helped to build SMU’s postgraduate programmes and establish the university’s research reputation on top of SMU’s already well-established undergraduate programmes. Professor Lily Kong joined SMU on 1 September 2015 as the university’s new Provost, and will also hold the Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences.

Themed SMU15 and SG50, the audience were treated to an hour long dazzling performance of songs and dances put together by various SMU student groups – SMU Symphonia, Samba Masala,  Eurhythmix, Caderas Latinas and Indancity.

The performances traced the discovery of Singapore by a Srivijayan prince Sang Nila Utama, the struggles of nationhood, and the transformation of a colonial backwater to a cosmopolitan city-state, as epitomized by national and global icon – Singapore Airlines. The night ended with a rousing medley of familiar Singapore Songs specially selected in conjunction with Singapore’s 50^th National Day.

Starting this academic year, freshmen can look forward to new curriculum and courses.

The revamped common curriculum will be implemented in full in this academic year, following the introduction of a few new courses last year. SMU-X Curriculum will be officially launched in this academic year after a six-month pilot. In addition, all the schools at SMU are rolling out new courses in this academic year, such as Intelligent Accounting Function by the School of Accountancy, Internet of Things: Technology and Applications by the School of Information Systems, Globalisation of Trade and Finance by the School of Economics, Storytelling for Brands and Organisations by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Foreign Investment Law in China by the School of Law, and Mass Media and Public Opinion Research by the School of Social Sciences.

[Caption: Freshmen posed for photos before the start of the Convocation Ceremony at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.]

[Featured photo: Themed SMU15 and SG50, the performances by various SMU student groups traced the development of Singapore from its early years to nationhood, and to being a thriving metropolis.]