[Featured photo: SMU Patron posing with performers at the SMU Patron’s Day 2019 dinner]

The Singapore Management University (SMU) celebrated its 19^th anniversary of its founding on its Patron’s Day (PD19), on Friday, 25 January 2019.

President Halimah Yacob graced the event as SMU’s third Patron where she was welcomed upon arrival by the SMU Malay Language and Cultural Club (MLCC) Rentak group performing an original upbeat cotemporary piece.

SMU Patron also toured the Festival Grounds on Campus Green and met with SMU students, performers, makers and merchants, as well as advocates behind PD19’s adopted social cause – Sama Sama. The intent of the exhibition is to guide viewers to see migrant workers in a different light beyond their working roles in Singapore.

After the tour, SMU Patron viewed an exhibition on on the University’s projects and initiatives by faculty, students and alumnus that have made meaningful impact on the community and attended the dinner at the SMU Hall together with some 300 guests comprising SMU trustees, advisory board members, senior management, students and alumni. Guests at the dinner were entertained by informative videos on creating meaningful impact, a sharing by NMP and alumnus Mohamed Irshad and performances by SMU students groups - SMU Voix and SMU Eurhythmix.

In his welcome remarks, SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping said he was delighted that SMU Patron Madam Halimah Yacob and SMU President Professor Lily Kong had both dared to dream and achieved things that were unimaginable when they started their careers. Both broke through the glass ceiling, with Madam Halimah becoming the first female President of Singapore and Professor Kong becoming Singapore’s first female university President. Their successes served as an inspiration for everyone not to be limited by convention, but to always ‘imagine better’. Given the wisdom of SMU Patron, guidance from the leaders of SMU, and support from the SMU community, he said he was confident that SMU would be able to pursue its vision of being an iconic global-city university in Asia that excels in tackling the world’s complexities and impacting humanity positively.

SMU President Professor Lily Kong explained how the theme of Patron’s Day festivities on Campus Green - “Sense-sational” - explored how we could experience the world through our senses and in different, unexpected and unusual ways. It paralleled what a good university education should strive to achieve – to open hearts and minds to new experiences and perspectives, encourage us to see things differently, perceive and understand opposing points of view, to experience more of the world and its cultures, to appreciate our own gifts, capabilities and potential, and that of others. The exhibits and activities on Campus Green link to SMU’s conviction to make meaningful impact on our students and through our students, faculty and staff.

Over at the Campus Green, the evening continued late into the night with sensational performances that featured talented SMU undergrad TK Jiang, SMU Eurhythmix and popular local artists such as Sing! China second runner-up Joanna Dong, singer-songwriter Charlie Lim, band 53A and DJ KoFlow and Dharni. The 19 Makers’ Market stalls featured SMU affiliated vendors (all stalls were by staff, alumni and students) and F&B merchants offered tantalising treats to an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of people from the SMU community and general public.

The success of creating such an enjoyable day was the combined collaborative efforts of talented performers, enterprising stall holders, the Patron’s Day 2019 organising committee comprising of SMU staff, students and alumni, and X-cept (Office of Student Life) and University Events team (Office of Corporate Communications and Marketing).

Said the PD19 Student Organising Committee Chairperson, Timothy Tay, “As a Year 1 student, it was challenging to serve as the chairperson for one of the largest annual event in SMU. I had to quickly learn more about the history and significance of the event to the university. Additionally, I had to guide the student organising committee as we faced many difficulties along the way as well, but I’m glad that we worked together as a team and pulled through to bring a successful Patron’s Day to the SMU community.”

More pictures of Patron's Day can be found here.

The two speeches made at the dinner are also enclosed:

• Remarks by SMU Chairman Ho Kwon Ping
• Remarks by SMU President Lily Kong