- MPA marks 10th year anniversary with celebratory gala dinner, endowment fund and other initiatives
- Programme reviews its decade of excellence and sets sights on future
- Long-service awards presented to faculty with outstanding contribution
The SMU Master of Professional Accounting (MPA) programme commemorated its 10th anniversary with an evening of celebration and heartfelt appreciation to multiple integral stakeholders. Several meaningful engagements also marked the momentous occasion and its outstanding achievements over a decade.
The gala dinner held on 26 August 2016 at Carlton Hotel was attended by about 230 guests representing industry and academic partners, alumni, students, faculty and staff.
SMU Dean of School of Accountancy (SoA) Professor Cheng Qiang, in his welcome message, spoke of how the MPA’s total cohort size has increased from 30 to more than 60 students a year. This demonstrated a healthy demand for accounting talents which has enabled the programme to grow from strength to strength.
The increased collaborations and links with industry and academia have also contributed significantly to building the programme’s relevance and distinction. Prof Cheng added that the MPA will continue to enhance its students’ learning experiences holistically.
SMU Vice-Provost (Special Projects) Professor Francis Koh, in his congratulatory speech on behalf of SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer, echoed that the MPA is a well-designed postgraduate programme that looks into various career paths and opportunities. It is a premier programme along with over 20 other postgraduate professional programmes offered at SMU. He cited that the MPA graduates to date come from a diverse mix of nationalities, another achievement to be proud of. With disruptions such as technology that affects the future, he also encouraged all to continue on the learning journey.
[Photo: SMU Vice-Provost (Special Projects) Professor Francis Koh at his congratulatory speech during the gala dinner.]
Chairman of the SMU SoA Advisory Board Dr Ernest Kan congratulated MPA, SoA and SMU for its success. On a university level, he said that it was the right decision for SoA to start the programme a decade ago. He also recognised SMU’s contribution in helping Singapore expand the paths for the profession and grow the pool of accounting talents.
[Photo: Chairman of the SMU SoA Advisory Board Dr Ernest Kan at his congratulatory speech during the gala dinner.]
Beyond Singapore’s shores, MPA’s global success has been exemplified in areas such as SoA being ranked fifth in the world for archival research in financial accounting and sixth in all accounting areas in the Brigham Young University accounting research rankings. Dr Kan also expressed great hopes for MPA going forward, and with the growing intake and strong industry support, SoA would continue producing high quality business leaders as it has for the past decade.
In recognition of faculty who have been instrumental to the success of the MPA, long-service awards were given out. The winners included ‘tax guru’ Professor Sum Yee Loong, ‘passionate terminator’ Associate Professor Themin Suwardy, Associate Professor Hwang Soo Chiat who is ‘knowledgeable and keeps students on their toes’, ‘animated and engaging lecturer’ Associate Professor Gilbert Tan, ‘passionate and inspirational’ Associate Professor Pearl Tan, as well Associate Professor Foo See Liang and Associate Professor Andrew Lee.
[Photo: Professor Sum Yee Loong (left) was among the list of faculty receiving the MPA Long Service Award from SoA Dean Prof Cheng.]
Another highlight to mark the anniversary milestone is an initiative by the SMU MPA Alumni Group (MPAA) to establish the MPA10 Endowment Fund for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. MPA is the first SMU master’s programme to raise funds for CSR activities and has so far raised S$132,000 including matched funds, exceeding its S$100,000 target. The Fund is expected to provide support of more than $3,000 per year in perpetuity to CSR initiatives for the MPA community.
This endowment fund also helps and encourages the MPA community to be more engaged in spearheading meaningful causes and activities annually that benefit the community and society. Furthermore, it keeps the MPA community connected, demonstrates the SMU giving spirit, and helps to achieve a holistic education. MPA and MPAA are most appreciative of the pledges by various individuals comprising industry partners, faculty, staff, alumni, and students towards this meaningful initiative.
To commemorate the occasion, MPA produced a special stamp collection. The painting on the customised set of MPA stamps was done by Meisie Yang from the MPA Class of 2016. The collection beautifully illustrates the milestones of MPA over a decade.
[Photo: The MPA 10th anniversary commemorative stamp collection.]
To entertain the guests, performances including a dance, band, song and the emcee were presented by MPA students and alumni.
In addition, open and silent auctions at the dinner generated more than S$5,000 for the Endowment Fund. The items were generously donated by faculty and industry partners including SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer who contributed a canvas print photo entitled “Dusk@SMU”.
MPA expressed their gratitude to sponsors of its 10th anniversary gala dinner: CPA Australia, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the SMU Office of Alumni Relations.
Please visit MPA for more information.
[Featured Photo (left to right): SoA Dean Prof Cheng, Vice Provost Prof Koh, SoA Advisory Board Chairman Dr Ernest Kan and MPA Programme Director Assoc Prof Wang Jiwei officiated the opening of the gala dinner celebration with champagne-popping.]
Please see more photos of the gala dinner celebration below.
