SMU's fifth president, Professor Lily Kong, has received the Public Service Star (Bintang Bakti Masyarakat) award in the National Day Awards 2020.  Instituted in 1963, the Public Service Star may be awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore; or who has distinguished himself/herself in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement.  This is Prof Lily Kong’s second National Day Award as she was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver) in 2006.

Prof Lily Kong, who is Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences at SMU, is internationally known for her research on social and cultural change in Asian cities, and has published extensively on Singapore’s urban transformation.  She is an award-winning researcher and teacher. Over the years, Prof Kong has contributed in myriad ways to the public service, in her membership of various boards, ranging from the Housing and Development Board and National Heritage Board to the National Environment Agency.

Prof Lily Kong was appointed Member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) on 29 January 2009. She will have served in the PSC for more than 11 years as at 9 August 2020.

The PSC enables the health of the public sector’s leadership pipeline, through rigorous selection of candidates for the top scholarships each year, as well as ensuring that competent and committed officers are appointed to the top posts in service. With her extensive experience in academia, Prof Kong has made significant contributions to the PSC’s work over the years. Her experience in assessing and developing university students has been a valuable asset to the PSC’s scholarships work.

“It is a tremendous honour to receive this recognition, and a privilege to have been able to serve.  The opportunity to work with colleagues on the PSC over the years to identify talented and committed young adults to join the public service, and to contribute to the appointment of appropriate officers to the top posts in the public service has been nothing short of fulfilling. In particular, it has been gratifying to see the multifaceted development of many of these talented individuals who go on to contribute to our country’s continued growth and success,” said Prof Kong.

In addition to Prof Lily Kong, listed below are 14 SMU staff and faculty members who have also been recognised via the 2020 National Day Awards for their outstanding performance and their commitment towards Singapore’s tertiary education sector.

Public Administration Medal (Silver)

• Mr Tan Chye Siong Terence | Vice President, Office of Human Resources and Faculty Administration
• Prof Robert Deng Huijie | AXA Chair Professor of Cybersecurity; Deputy Dean, Faculty & Research; and Director, Secure Mobile Centre; School of Information Systems

Public Administration Medal (Bronze)

• Assoc Prof Seow Poh Sun | Associate Professor of Accounting (Education), School of Accountancy
• Prof Zheng Baihua | Professor of Information Systems, School of Information Systems

Commendation Medal

• Mr Goh Kok Wee, Alvin | Senior Associate Director, Office of the Provost
• Ms Tan Poh Ling | Manager, Office of the President
• Ms Li Hiaw Gee Shelly | Senior Assistant Director, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
• Assoc Prof Tan Kar Way | Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice), School of Information Systems
• Ms Karen Gan Yoke Wah | Senior Lecturer of Finance, Lee Kong Chian School of Business
• Mr Low Heng Keong Ivan | Senior Associate Director, Office of Postgraduate Professional Programmes
• Ms Sumita D/O Govindan | Senior Manager, SMU Libraries

Efficiency Medal

• Ms Goh Pei Lin Janet | Senior Assistant Manager, Office of Human Resources and Faculty Administration
• Ms Tay Yuan Yi | Senior Assistant Manager, School of Accountancy
• Ms Chua Hong Ngoh | Instructor, School of Information Systems

Heartiest congratulations to all award recipients!

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