Title: Building a World-Class University

Author: Prof. Tan Eng Chye, Mr. Terence Poon

Abstract

Many ask about how to become a world-class university. Yet it is equally important to ask why. The National University of Singapore (NUS) undertook two major changes in the past three decades, including becoming a world-class university, to remain relevant to its community.

In the mid-1990s, relevance meant that NUS grew from a largely teaching university into a comprehensive research university, because this would support the national strategy of turning Singapore into a knowledge economy. NUS benefited from globalisation and a national policy to grant universities operational autonomy; it hired and nurtured talented people, introduced entrepreneurial education, and created educational programmes.

In the past decade, relevance has meant dealing with the increasingly complex problems Singapore and the world face. NUS has encouraged greater collaboration across academic disciplines, with government, business, and communities, as well as across borders. In research and innovation, it has built platforms for talented people to come together and address shared problems. In education, it has created space for interdisciplinary and lifelong learning alongside disciplinary specialisation and educating high-school graduates.

As NUS and other universities grapple with rising geopolitical tensions and the impact of Artificial Intelligence, it remains uncertain what relevance will mean. A few observations, based on the NUS experience, may be salient: Universities must not be wedded to any one model, but seek relevance. Universities are about talented people, wherever they may come from; it is crucial to welcome them, and enable them to learn together, work together and grow together. The character of a university as a community of talented people is a source of strength as it renews its relevance and adapts.

Keywords

Higher education; Higher education research institutions; University; Academic research; Spin-off; College; Human capital; Manpower training; Skills; Global collaboration; University autonomy; Higher education governance; Free Global Cities; Free Global City