Yale-NUS celebrates Core Values Champions

Yale-NUS Core Values Champions receiving their certificates from Yale-NUS President Joanne Roberts.

On 18 November 2022, Yale-NUS College celebrated staff members who went above and beyond in their commitment to the College. The inaugural Yale-NUS Core Values Champions Award recognises staff who are dedicated to the College’s core values, which are transformation, exploration, respect, inclusivity, and care.

The individual award winner Assistant Manager, Student Affairs Office, Shirley Thia, said that the award came as a surprise to her. “I am honoured to receive this award and I believe that the core values give us an added sense of purpose and direction. This has been especially so with the challenges we all faced in the last few years of the pandemic. During this time, I found transformation to be one of the most important core values in my work,” she said.

One project that Assistant Manager Thia worked on was a process to document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) within the Student Affairs Office. This project helped to improve overall operational efficiency and allow the SAO Team to be dynamic in the face of future obstacles.

Assistant Manager Thia expressed her gratefulness to her superiors and colleagues who recognised her work. “I couldn’t have achieved this award alone. I have unconditionally supportive colleagues and supervisors who showed me much trust and faith. I am thankful to the people I worked with, the selection committee, and Senior Leadership for this acknowledgement!” she expressed.

Assistant Senior Manager, Infrastructure, Safety and Security Office (also affectionately known to the community as ‘Infra’), Sansurash Krishnan Samy received the award on behalf of his team. He explained that his department receives a high number of feedback from the community on a daily basis. Sansurash said, “Each of our staff demonstrates the core values in one way or another, with a particular focus on respect through exceptional customer service. We take our students’ experiences as a key priority, and we hope to improve their living and educational experience.”

With this recognition, the Infra team shared how they are even more excited to implement other ideas, such as a project to digitalise more facilities on campus to improve efficiency. The team previously implemented a smart facilities management dashboard which was recognised by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

On behalf of her team members in the Research and Grants Administration Office (RGAO), Associate Director Meenakshi Annamalai shared that they were extremely grateful and humbled by the nominations they received. “Our team does not see our work as merely a job, but instead a calling and vocation. Seeing how our work enables academic research that impacts lives gives us a strong sense of purpose and willingness to go the extra mile,” she commented.

As a result of the announcement of Yale-NUS College’s closure in 2025, the RGAO had to conscientiously develop strategies to support faculty research, such as the development of research administration frameworks to enable smoother transitions in the years to come.

The RGAO team also shared their appreciation for other members in the College. “Our accomplishments would not have been possible without the immense support received from the College Leadership and Research-related Committees. We are especially thankful to the former Dean of Faculty Jeannette Ickovics. Their bottom-up approach, as well as the gratitude from faculty members, help drive innovation and enable Yale-NUS staff to feel valued,” Associate Director Annamalai said.