Yale-NUS College marks inauguration as Singapore’s first liberal arts college
Yale-NUS College officially marked the start of its undergraduate academic year with an Inauguration Ceremony today. Officiated by Guest-of-Honor Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, President of the Republic of Singapore and Chancellor of National University of Singapore (NUS), the event was graced by more than 500 distinguished guests, including NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Yale University President Emeritus Professor Richard Levin, Yale-NUS College Governing Board, faculty, students, parents, donors and industry partners.
To mark the historic milestone of the inauguration of the College, both Yale University and the National University of Singapore presented a set of 50 books each to Yale-NUS College. A significant part of these two collections are books authored by prominent alumni of both Yale and NUS. Yale-NUS students will be able to access these books at the Yale-NUS library.
Speaking at the College’s Inauguration Ceremony, Yale-NUS’ Founding President Pericles Lewis remarked on the milestone achievements of the College as semester begins for the first class. “When Yale University and the National University of Singapore signed the agreement to launch Yale-NUS College in 2011, we had a mission to reinvent liberal arts and science education for a complex, interconnected world. Today, we open a new chapter with our Class of 2017, a cohort of trailblazing pioneers from 26 countries on six continents, each with remarkable achievements and even greater potential. We strongly believe that a Yale-NUS education will create leaders who can adapt to new environments, collaborate across disciplines, and quickly master new challenges,” says President Lewis.
Yale-NUS’ Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Professor Lai Choy Heng adds that both faculty and students have launched into teaching and learning of the new Common Curriculum with unabashed enthusiasm. “With such a diverse cohort of students, there is a fascinating range of ideas and opinions being shared. The campus is filled with lively discussions as many of these conversations continue in the common lounges or dining halls, beyond the classroom. “
Yale-NUS College is Singapore’s first liberal arts college with a full residential program that integrates learning and living. Students at the College are taught by leading educators and distinguished researchers from around the world. Collectively shaped by the 50-strong inaugural faculty, the unique Yale-NUS Common Curriculum, together with the residential college system, enables students and faculty to learn together, not just in the classrooms, but more intentionally in communal settings, creating lively exchanges of ideas and opinions in a community of learning. The Yale-NUS education seeks to promote a stronger sense of community and responsibility at a time in students’ lives when they are discovering themselves and reimagining their futures. Yale-NUS seeks to reinvent existing models of education by combining the strengths and essential elements of liberal arts education with the diverse intellectual traditions of Asia and the world.
