The Singapore Management University (SMU) commemorated its 22nd Anniversary on Patron’s Day (PD) with the theme PD22: Celebrate Balance on Friday 21 January 2022. Reflecting the symmetry, balance and harmony of the number 22, audiences were invited to balance hard work and self-care in their lives and to extend that same care to the community. 

The hybrid celebrations took place from 21 to 28 January where audiences enjoyed live, vibrant and funky celebrity and student performances, a diverse Makers' Market by members of the SMU Community, free fitness trial classes, sure-win games and activities which happened on-campus and online.

In a video message, SMU Chairman Mr Ho Kwon Ping said that the last two years had been a challenge for the whole world in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic, but SMU could be proud of how it had responded to the daunting challenges. It had pivoted to enable faculty to teach, students to study and staff to work from home, and developed new skills, tools and processes for the virtual world, and built greater resilience, adaptability and perseverance in coping with physical distance. He applauded everyone involved in adhering to the prevailing safe-management measures to put together the hybrid event.

In her video message, SMU President Professor Lily Kong urged all to strike the appropriate balance in their lives, as this would allow them to live and thrive sustainably. She added that the pandemic had made many become more aware of the value of relationships and the importance of providing one another with support, care and encouragement. She urged all to take the opportunity to be good to themselves and to others and strengthen existing relationships and make new connections, whether online or on campus.

Watch their videos here.

We had the honour of having SMU’s Patron President Halimah Yacob, visit SMU to partake in the celebrations with the SMU Community on 21 January. She met with SMU students, makers and merchants at the Makers’ Market and donated a pair of sneakers for “A Pair for a Cause” – a sustainability initiative collecting used sports shoes which will be repurposed into running tracks and other sports facilities around Singapore.

Over at SMU Big Steps, those who scored tickets were treated to a pair of live performances themed to Equilibrium of the Elements by SMU’s student groups such as SMU Ivory Keys, SMU Guitarissimo, SMU Eurhythmix, SMU Caderas Latinas, SMU Funk Movement, SMU Ardiente, SMU Wushu, SMU Taekwondo, SMU Indancity, SMU Samba Masala, SMU Stereometa and SMU Broadcast and Entertainment, and a pair of popular local artistes Benjamin Kheng and Annette Lee performing their Yes933’s number one hit, The Caifan Song. The live concerts – the first in SMU since 2020 – were livestreamed to a wider audience at home too.

On the web portal, students played online games based on the six dimensions of the SMU Resilience Framework, and took home more than $400K worth of prizes pooled together by the student sponsorship team. Two shoppertainment episodes were also livestreamed from The Alcove, giving SMU Makers a valuable chance to demonstrate their craft.

PD22 Organising Committee Sponsorship Director, Thiam Zi Hui from the School of Computing and Information Systems was excited to help organise a university-wide event with hybrid elements, “With an event as large as SMU Patron’s Day, I believe the experiences gained and lessons learnt will help me grow as a person. I also wanted to take this chance to meet and get to know peers from other schools, as we have been attending classes online for the past few semesters without the chance to interact with others!”

Fun and Games Director, Melissa Tan from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business is thankful for the experience which helped build up her leadership skills. “Prior to PD22, I was very introverted. My Director position gave me the opportunity to lead a group of individuals and be vocal about my opinions. PD22 will definitely be one of my highlights of my SMU life!”, she said.

Despite being busy, the Organising Committee also took time to “celebrate balance” on their own. Said Human Resources Director, Ng Ying from School of Social Sciences, “I planned and hosted a virtual Christmas Cohesion, where everyone took some time to get to know each other across departments through games and activities. I'm glad that I was able to foster a sense of camaraderie in the lead up to PD22 and it is also a reminder for us to celebrate balance through work, play and rest.”

The university would like to extend a big thank you to students, staff, faculty, alumni and the SMU Patron's Day organising committee for making SMU’s birthday celebrations a meaningful and enjoyable one.

More pictures from SMU Patron’s Day can be found here. Relive the best moments of PD here.

And, read more in LianheZaobao here.