“To date, SMU has clocked over 2.3 million hours of community service – that’s 251 man years,” said SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping at the Patron’s Day Dinner graced by Singapore’s President and SMU’s Patron Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam on 5 February 2016. Mr Ho explained that in 2001, SMU was the first university in Singapore to make community service a compulsory component of its undergraduate education. “Many students have gone above and beyond the requisite 80 hours to serve in causes for which they feel strongly,” he added, “with averages reaching 140 hours among some cohorts.”

President Tan had spent more than 20 minutes before dinner viewing a special exhibition, “SMU Gives Back”, co-ordinated by the University Events team (Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing) and showcasing four of the longest running local community service projects established and sustained by SMU undergraduates. The projects presented to him at the Li Ka Shing Library by some of the students and alumni involved were starringSMU, Project Inspirar, Project Kidleidoscope and SMU Challenge. Gabriel Lim Pang Keat, Vice President of Project Inspirar 2015 showed President Tan the resistance bands the project uses in mass exercise routines for the elderly in Singapore. He said afterwards, “It was an honour to showcase Project Inspirar to President Tan. He actually tried one of the resistance bands and said that it was ‘really good’ that we were contributing back to the community and serving senior citizens.”

During the meal, attended by members of SMU’s Board of Trustees, donors, staff, alumni and current students, two videos were screened highlighting various community service initiatives over the years and featuring personal accounts by students and alumni. SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer pointed out in his speech that community service is only one way in which the University gives back to society. He mentioned SMU’s support for the Singapore Writer’s Festival, Night Festival, Gravical, and Big Walk, as examples, as well as undertaking a study of the economics of ageing, and SMU Change Lab’s “action research”.

President Tan (front row, centre) with (front row, left to right) SMU leaders Provost Prof Lily Kong, Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping, Chancellor Mr J Y Pillay, and President Prof Arnoud De Mayer with eminent SMU alumni after the Patron’s Day 2016 Dinner. Back row: (L-R) Mr Nathaniel Koh (starringSMU 2007 Vice-President), Mr Andre Loh (Inspirar 2008 President), Mr Richard Pang  (Domino of Dreams 2007 President), Mr Darren Toh (starringSMU 2007 President), Ms Irene Ong (SMU Challenge 2010 President), Mr Tan Yong Chin (Inspirar 2008 Vice-President), Mr Yang Kangwei (starringSMU 2007 Vice-President). Second row: (L-R) Mr Victor Chan (SMU Challenge 2010 Vice-President), Mr Benjamin Twoon (Alumni Donor), Mr Jeff Tung (Alumni Donor), Ms Aw Yi Hui (SMU Challenge 2010 Vice-President).

Once Upon a Time

The theme for this year’s Patron’s Day Village was ‘Once Upon A Time’. The Office of Student Life and the SMU Students Association transformed SMU’s basement concourse into a storybook kingdom for a day of festivities with tales-inspired games and workshops, food with stories to tell, and dazzling evening performances. The games challenged visitors to face Medusa at Stoned, defend themselves in a shootout in the Wild Wild West, feed the dinosaurs at Plinkosaurus, race for gold at Treasure Island, and face the Wicked Witch of the East at Wicked Pong!

Fun and games at SMU Patron’s Day 2016 included a Wild Wild West challenge.

There were also workshops where visitors could make their own Jungle Jar, create a beautiful dreamcatcher, or create a little bottle of Aladdin’s colourful sand.

President Tan marvelled at this storybook kingdom on a tour of the Patron’s Day Village conducted by SMU Student’s Association President Fu Fei and President of the Patron’s Day 2016 Organising Committee Chairperson Ler Jie Qi.

President Tan (left) with the “dreamcatcher” he made with the help of undergraduates Han Jiamin (centre) and Tay Si Ni.

President Tan’s first stop was to the stall where “dreamcatchers” were being hand-made. “He asked what a dreamcatcher was for (to catch your bad dreams), and how it works,” said undergraduate Han Jiamin. “It was great to be able to share with him about what the team and I had worked so hard on. It was a great experience. He was really easy to talk to and very interested in hearing what I had to say,” she added.

President Tan stopped at several stalls along the way, chatting to the student hosts, trying out several of the games and activities and posing for photos with participants.

President Tan made a detour to greet the stallholders at Koufou Foodcourt in the SMU basement.

Highly polished performances were staged throughout the day and evening by student clubs Eurhythmix, Samba Masala, SMUCO, Ardiente, Funk Movement, VOIX, M.I.C, Symphonia, Caderas, and Indancity. Also on stage, singer-songwriter, actress and model Ming Bridges took part in a lively interview about her life and work, and pulling the crowds with mini concerts just for SMU were Gentle Bones and ever-popular The Sam Willows. The celebrations continued late into the evening and when the day finally came to an end, everyone left with many happy memories and stories to tell.

Kicking up a storm were Eurhythmix – just one of ten student clubs performing at SMU Patron’s Day 2016.

(Main photo) President Tan (right) listening to one of the presentations about SMU’s longest-running community service projects – Kidleidoscope, presented by the project’s 2015 President Jonathan Goh Jin Rui (left) and 2015 Vice President Koh Wei Rui (right).

Find more photos on SMU Facebook, SMU Patron's Day Facebook, and SMU Patron's Day Instagram.