Page 9 - Nanyang Technological University

Moving ahead in a global world
There is no doubt that universities are engines of
economic growth.
As centres of knowledge creation and transfer,
universities are a focal point of discoveries, development
and innovations, where the best and brightest come
together to build on past successes for a better future.
Singapore can be proud that NTU, a young public
university, has risen so rapidly in higher education.
NTU is today known internationally for its quality
education and global research.
If you look around the world, it is not hard to find
centres of innovation anchored around great universities.
For example, it is no accident that Silicon Valley is
what it is. While its DNA – the culture and attitude of
its community – plays a part, it also matters that you
have universities like Stanford University, University of
California, Berkeley, and Santa Clara University in a
concentration. The innovation that comes out of the
east coast of the United States is also driven in large
part by the cluster of universities there, from the likes
of MIT to Harvard University.
I see NTU contributing in a similar way to the knowledge
wealth bank of Singapore, competing and also
collaborating with the other local universities to spark
the kind of disruptive innovation and knowledge creation
that generates economic success.
NTU’s national role extends to being a “star neighbour”
in the backyard of western Singapore. The University is
already a great partner of industry, from conglomerates
to smaller made-in-Singapore companies, working
to raise living standards and sharpen Singapore’s
economic edge. NTU can be the epicentre of a strong
collaborative ecosystem as part of the Jurong Innovation
District, Singapore’s largest living lab for the testing and
development of new technologies.
forward momentum
Beyond its primary mission to train university students,
NTU will be reaching out to its alumni and the wider
public as a lifelong partner in continuous learning.
Through the University’s new College of Professional
and Continuing Education, it can help the Singapore
work force – of whom NTU alumni are a big part –
to keep their edge in an interconnected world where
knowledge becomes obsolete very quickly.
Having emerged from yet another inspirational academic
year, the University is on a solid growth path. I would
like to thank the leadership team, led by the indefatigable
pair Prof Bertil Andersson and Prof Freddy Boey,
for instituting the many changes that have fast-tracked
NTU’s performance.
We also thank our key stakeholders – the government,
Board of Trustees members, donors and academic and
industry partners – for their support in the University’s
continued transformation. I would like in particular to
acknowledge the contributions of Mr Lim Chee Onn,
who stepped down after seven good years on the
NTU Board.
Continued growth is not something we can take for
granted. We can go down just by working a little less
hard, and we need to have the ambition to go beyond
what we have achieved. Embarking on the next lap,
NTU should strive to maintain its momentum of
excellence and continue to contribute to Singapore’s
future, transforming lives with impact.
Mr Koh Boon Hwee
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Nanyang Technological University
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