{"id":3804,"date":"2018-10-01T19:37:27","date_gmt":"2018-10-01T19:37:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-alumn-nus.pantheonsite.io\/alumnus\/?p=3804"},"modified":"2025-07-15T16:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T08:08:12","slug":"a-blueprint-for-the-great-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2018\/10\/01\/a-blueprint-for-the-great-beyond\/","title":{"rendered":"A Blueprint for the Great Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Another school year, and another new batch of undergraduates walks through the doors of NUS. This year\u2019s freshmen kicked off their university experience in much the same way as did those before them \u2014 save for one big difference: they were the first cohort to join the University under the presidency of Professor Tan Eng Chye (Science \u201985).\u00a0<\/p>

In conjunction with this milestone, a special event was held at the NUS University Cultural Centre on\u00a015 August, during the first week of the semester, to launch NUS\u2019 new Vision, Mission and Values (VMV). \u201cOur vision was last laid out in 2009 [by then-newly-appointed NUS President, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan (Medicine \u201983)],\u201d Prof Tan tells The\u00a0Alum<\/em>NUS. \u201cSince then, NUS has progressed to a level where we are now recognised as one of the top universities in Asia. So it is timely to review where we are now \u2014 and where we want to go.<\/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 has progressed to a level where we are now recognised as one of the top universities in Asia. So it is timely to review where we are now \u2014 and where we want to go.<\/strong><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Prof Tan Eng Chye, NUS President<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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FROM THE GROUND UP<\/strong><\/p>\n

The process of crafting the VMV began before Prof Tan formally assumed office as NUS President on 1 January 2018. In late 2017, he went on a listening tour around campus to engage with a wide cross-section of the NUS community \u2014 comprising faculty and senior management, researchers, staff, students and alumni \u2014 and to exchange views about NUS\u2019 future direction. Online surveys and focus group discussions were subsequently conducted to garner more feedback. With the support of the NUS Trustees, the VMV was then crystallised and fine-tuned prior to its 15 August launch.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In all, more than 1,000 people participated in the process, making for a deeply collaborative experience. \u201cWhereas past versions of our vision had been largely shaped by an external consultant, this time it was much more of a ground-up initiative,\u201d says NUS Chief Communications Officer, Mrs Ovidia Lim-Rajaram (Arts and Social Sciences \u201989). \u201cIt was heartening to see that so many people in our community are eager to contribute their thoughts. It showed how much they care about the University.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The outcome is a new VMV that boldly and succinctly states the University\u2019s goals, and that matches its stature as a 113-year-old institution which has produced many eminent leaders across government, industry and civil society. Professor Ho Teck Hua (Engineering \u201985), Senior Deputy President and Provost of NUS, notes, \u201cThe VMV serves as a common language for the entire NUS community, in all its diversity, to talk about what we want to achieve and how we intend to get there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\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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INTRODUCING THE VMV<\/strong><\/p>\n

A great deal of careful deliberation went into wordsmithing the VMV:<\/p>\n