{"id":13662,"date":"2026-04-03T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/?p=13662"},"modified":"2026-03-18T16:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:08:26","slug":"rooted-in-legacy-a-tree-for-the-next-120-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2026\/04\/03\/rooted-in-legacy-a-tree-for-the-next-120-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Rooted in Legacy: A Tree for the Next 120 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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When the National University of Singapore (NUS) marked its 120th<\/sup> anniversary on 3 July 2025, one moment of the gala dinner carried particular significance: the watering of a Tembusu tree sapling. Representing NUS\u2019 enduring growth and resilience, the sapling was unveiled by key figures from the University\u2019s diverse community \u2014 government leaders, faculty, staff, students and alumni\u2014symbolising the shared responsibility of nurturing the University\u2019s future.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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NUS\u2019 120th anniversary celebrations were officially launched on 3 July 2025. From left: NUS Graduate Student Society President Mr Muhammet Furkan Ilaslan (Design and Engineering PhD \u201926); Professor Chong Yap Seng (Medicine \u201988, MD \u201907), Dean of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science \u201985); Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Dr Koh Poh Koon (Medicine \u201996, MMed \u201903); Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong (Arts '64, HonLLD '15); Guest-of-Honour, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Medicine \u201985, MMed \u201991); NUS Board of Trustees Chairman Mr Hsieh Fu Hua (Business \u201974); NUS Students\u2019 Union President Mr Sean Pang; NUS Alumni Advisory Board Co-Chairman Mr Seah Cheng San (Engineering '82, Business '92); and NUS Chief Alumni Officer Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Arts & Social Sciences \u201989).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Today, that same sapling has been planted on NUS\u2019 Kent Ridge campus near University Hall, where it will take root and flourish alongside new generations of students. A commemorative plaque will also be installed on the site.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The NUS120 Tembusu sapling, planted near University Hall, will grow as a symbol of NUS\u2019 enduring spirit and legacy. <\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Tembusu, one of Singapore\u2019s most distinctive and iconic trees, shares a close affiliation with Singapore\u2019s flagship university. Found on both the Kent Ridge and Bukit Timah campuses, Tembusus have been an integral part of NUS\u2019 landscape throughout time, with many of the trees likely predating the campus itself. Known for their towering presence, deep roots and wide canopy, these trees have long provided shade and quiet spaces for reflection, much like the University itself, which has supported generations of students in their intellectual and personal growth.<\/p>

Over the past 120 years, NUS has evolved from a modest medical school into a leading global university, shaped by the contributions of its students, faculty and alumni around the world.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The planting of the Tembusu sapling serves as a reminder that legacies, like trees, grow stronger through the care and commitment of those who nurture them.<\/p>

\u201cWe hope that this Tembusu will provide shade and respite for our community for at least the next 120 years,\u201d said Ms Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Arts & Social Sciences \u201989), Chief Alumni Officer at NUS, \u201cmirroring the support the University provides its students and alumni.\u201d<\/p>

As the sapling takes root on Kent Ridge, it stands as a living symbol of continuity, connecting NUS\u2019 past, present and future.<\/p>

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A Tembusu tree has been planted near University Hall in honour of NUS’ 120th anniversary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":13663,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-events","category-nus120"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13662"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13669,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13662\/revisions\/13669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}