16
August
2018
|
01:23
Asia/Singapore

New Vision, Mission and Values launched

Participating in the launch were (from left) Jeffrey Lee, President, NUS Students’ Union; Assoc ProfMarie-Veronique Clement, NUS Medicine; Prof Ho Teck Hua, NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost; Mr Hsieh Fu Hua; NUS Chairman; Prof Tan; Mr Lim Chong Tee, Chief Marketing Officer, WateROAM; Ms Nur Amalina Mohamed, University Scholars Programme; and Drashtiben Mukeshbhai Patel, NUS Computing and NUS Overseas College Silicon Valley

NUS — Singapore’s flagship university — launched its new vision, mission and values on 15 August, heralding a new era in quality education, influential research and visionary enterprise for a better future.

In his speech, NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye expounded on the need for a new vision, mission and values that would guide the University in achieving “even greater heights, beyond its strong standing as a leading university”. Following consultations with diverse members of the NUS family, who felt that the University’s accomplishments, influence and impact provided further impetus for NUS to be even more dauntless and inspiring in efforts to shape the future, the University’s vision, mission and values were crafted.

vmv-2.jpg

NUS launched its new vision, mission and values on 15 August 2018

Paying tribute to the people who make up NUS, Prof Tan explained how the University’s vision is based on its history. “The people of NUS form the bedrock of this University — a very special institution founded by the community, for the community; a leading global university that is shaping the future. This is our vision for NUS, a higher purpose that is deeply rooted in our beginnings,” he said.

Prof Tan shared that NUS’ mission is to educate, inspire and transform. While NUS is a leading global research-intensive university, he stated unequivocally that “education is — and always will be — at the heart of what we do” and highlighted several examples of modes of education pioneered by the University.

Elaborating on the University’s values, Prof Tan highlighted several members of the NUS community who embodied these values, including Professor Lim Chwee Teck, Acting Director of NUS Biomedical Institute for Global Health Research and Technology and NUSS Professor at NUS Biomedical Engineering whose creative blend of biology and engineering has resulted in innovative outcomes such as diagnosing life-threatening illnesses from small amounts of blood; Mr M Thirukkumaran, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics with Highest Distinction through perseverance despite not doing well in school when he was younger; and Associate Professor Nga Min En from NUS Pathology who was instrumental in setting up Pathweb, an online pathology teaching resource that is popular with users all over the world.

The people of NUS form the bedrock of this University — a very special institution founded by the community, for the community; a leading global university that is shaping the future. This is our vision for NUS, a higher purpose that is deeply rooted in our beginnings.

Prof Tan concluded his speech by exhorting the University to “aspire to be a vital community of academics, researchers, staff, students and alumni that work together in a spirit of innovation and enterprise to create a better world”.

Professor Armin Aberle, CEO of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, said that he liked the new vision, mission and values. “It’s sharp, it’s crispy and it comes to the point quickly. I think they’re wisely chosen and complement each other nicely,” he said. The values made sense to him as an academic, he added.

Said Year 2 NUS Arts and Social Sciences student Syazwani Binte Daud Dave Nonis, “I thought that the new vision, mission and values accurately encapsulate what NUS students have been adhering to. For example, this spirit is embodied by students who have raised more than $8 million to date through the annual Rag and Flag and who inspire more students to follow suit and similarly align themselves with the NUS values.”

vmv-3.jpg

Prof Tan (right); Prof Barry Halliwell, Senior Advisor, Academic Appointments and Research Excellence, Office of the Senior Deputy President and Provost (2nd from right); and Prof Lim Pin, Former NUS Vice Chancellor (2nd from left) visiting a booth at the “Innovation & Impact” project showcase

As part of the launch, more than 20 innovative projects from various schools and research institutes were presented at the NUS University Cultural Centre. The showcase featured projects from corporate laboratories such as the Grab-NUS AI Lab, NUS-Singtel Corporate Lab and WIL@NUS Corporate Lab; start-ups including WateROAM, Zilliqa and Zimplistic; schools such as NUS Engineering and NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education; and student initiatives like the NUS Students’ Community Service Club and NUS Law Student Pro Bono Initiatives; among others.

The launch at NUS University Cultural Centre was attended by close to 400 members of the NUS community.

Read speech by NUS President.