Professor Ron Frank, President, SMU

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am delighted to be here this afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus of the Singapore Management University.

Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks a new milestone in Singapore’s tertiary education scene for two reasons. Firstly, this ceremony marks the beginning of Singapore’s first urban university. Unlike the suburban campuses of NUS and NTU, SMU will be sited right in the city centre. It will cut a unique profile. Where we are now marks but one of the 5 sites that will house SMU. On this site will stand the campus centre. The other campus buildings will be within walking distance of one another but they will be interspersed with the mature buildings in this area. SMU will break new ground, in more ways than one. The city campus concept means faculty and students can literally walk onto the city streets and be immersed in and form part of the life and dynamism of the city, much like other reputable city universities overseas, such as the London School of Economics and Columbia University in New York City.

Secondly, for many of us who studied at one of the many schools in the Bras Basah district back in the 1950’s and 1960’s, this area evokes myriad memories and emotions. With the relocation of schools and departure of the student community, much of the vibrancy and lustre in this area also left. Siting SMU in this area will catalyse the rebirth of such vitality in this central district of Singapore.

SMU’s city campus will include comprehensive underground pedestrian connections between the Campus buildings and with the upcoming MRT station. While the upper levels of the campus will understandably be closed to members of the public, the completely accessible thoroughfare at the street level as well as the basement concourse invites a flow of pedestrian traffic. In addition, the architects have created a new civic centre, an oasis of greenery flanked by the SMU Library and Campus Centre on two sides, and with the Singapore History Museum and the Art Museum at the two ends.

By siting SMU in the city district, the Government aims to bring the university right to the doorstep of the business and corporate world. As a management university, SMU will benefit from the ready network of business partners and enjoy the greater synergy that comes about naturally due to proximity. SMU’s prime location facilitates internships, business attachments, study visits, sponsorships, and the provision of executive education. The university should fully leverage on these opportunities, build relationships with its business neighbours, and offer itself as a resource and provider of choice for professional and executive upgrading.

SMU students would benefit too. Studying static business facts and figures from textbooks cannot compare to literally being in the thick of action. In addition, with an MRT station at its doorstep, the new campus promises easy and convenient access from every part of the island.

The Government has committed a sum of more than $400 million to SMU for its new campus. We are fully committed to providing opportunities for university education for Singaporeans. Our target is to raise the percentage of each primary one cohort making it to university, from 21% now to 25% by 2010. The combined steady-state intake of the three universities, NUS, NTU and SMU, will grow to about 12,000. The Government targets to expand the university sector and increase the annual intake beyond this to 15,000 over the next 5 to 10 years. The importance of education cannot be overemphasised. It is an investment that we must make and sustain, regardless of the ups and downs of our economy.

I look forward to the official opening of this campus, when SMU will be a permanent part of, and contribute to, the dynamism of the city district and our overall university landscape. Thank you.