History

By the late 1990s, it was clear that Singapore needed another institution at university level. Dr Tony Tan recalls the three reasons that Mr Ho Kwon Ping and his council put forth for starting SMU. First, SMU would take on a different direction from NUS or NTU. Second, the subjects that SMU were going to teach, business and management, would be very widely accepted in Singapore because of its position as a business hub. Third, SMU would establish itself as a city university on extremely valuable land. Since its launch, seven student cohorts have graduated and been well received – so SMU has been a success.

The planning team was still employed at NUS and NTU till 1998, meeting in the evenings and weekends to do their planning before resigning to form SMU’s steering committee. The 12 members of the pioneer team comprised Tan Teck Meng, Tan Chin Tiong, Leong Kwong Sin, Pang Yang Hoong, Low Kee Yang, Toh Thian Ser, Hwang Soo Chiat, Michael Gan, Tsui Kai Chong, Khoo Teng Aun, Tan Wee Liang and Low Aik Meng, led by Mr Ho Kwon Ping as the chairman. Operating as a team, each member also had a specific function ranging from strategic issues such as the vision and mission, to teaching pedagogy, finance, legal matters and so on.

As SMU fulfilled its mission and vision of becoming a top-class university, the planning team recognised the need to instil certain core values in SMU graduates which would make them distinctive and give them an identity. This led to the creation of the SMU CIRCLE values – Commitment, Integrity, Responsibility, Collegiality, Leadership, and Excellence. The quintessential SMU graduate would be developed through a holistic education involving rigorous academic training, with an inculcated value system and sense of social responsibility echoing these values.

The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was chosen to serve as a model for SMU, after an extensive review of many undergraduate business schools. The Wharton-SMU agreement was signed in February 1999, followed in June by the Wharton-SMU Research Centre collaboration. In July 1999, Professor Janice Bellace, then Deputy Dean of the Wharton School, commenced a two-year term as SMU's first president.

In its aim to develop holistic and well-rounded SMU graduates, students are required to perform 80-hours of community service as part of their undergraduate curriculum. SMU is working with the National Volunteer Centre to help students identify volunteer opportunities in the arts, environment, heritage and sports.

The SMU logo is conceptualised, taking on the form of a lion that represents Singapore. The surrounding tangram pieces represent management, while the eyebrow of the lion represents intellect, or university. The overall impact is simple, yet profound – helping students to identify with, and feel that they belong to the university.

Singapore Management University is incorporated as a non-profit private limited company with an independent board of trustees. Mr Ho Kwon Ping is appointed chairman of SMU's board of trustees. Groundbreaking ceremony signals start of construction for SMU's interim campus at Evans Road.

SMU moves from its interim campus on Evans Road to the renovated, historic Bukit Timah campus, often referred to as “the cradle of tertiary education in Singapore” and previously home to two earlier universities, the University of Malaya and the University of Singapore. While preserving the buildings' period architecture, classrooms are remodelled for seminar-style teaching, with wireless internet available throughout the campus and state-of-the-art upgrades planned for the upcoming year.

SMU welcomes the pioneer batch of 306 students with an inaugural convocation held at Bras Basah Park. SMU's first school, the School of Business, commences.

Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan announces the start of the School of Accountancy. SMU will become the first Singapore university to offer an American-style, broad-based accountancy degree programme with professional recognition. Classes will begin in August 2001. Associate Professor Pang Yang Hoong is founding dean of the new school. She joined SMU's start-up team in 1998. Prior to that, Professor Pang was the director of the PhD programme and head of auditing and taxation at the School of Accountancy and Business, Nanyang Technological University.

Patron's Day commemorates the incorporation of SMU in January 2000. The first patron of SMU is President of Singapore, Mr S R Nathan. SMU celebrated its first Patron's Day by hosting a visit of President Nathan at its Evans Road campus

During his address at the Convocation ceremony, guest-of-honour Education Minister Teo Chee Hean announced the launch of SMU’s third school, the School of Economics and Social Sciences. The first students for the BSc (Economics) degree will be admitted in 2002.

The Master Plan for SMU’s City Campus at Bras Basah has been approved by the Minister of National Development, Mr Mah Bow Tan. The campus is believed to be the first of its kind – to be designed, integrated and built from scratch in the heart of a developed cityscape. It will eventually accommodate 15,000 students in nine buildings spread over 7.76 hectares of land.

SMU announces the formation of a fourth school, the School of Information Systems (SIS). The new school will have a cross-disciplinary approach, preparing IT graduates who can work at the interface between business and technology. Steven Miller, chief architect executive, IBM Business Innovation Services ASEAN, is appointed as interim dean.

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Li Ka Shing donates a record S$19.5 million to SMU, to go towards the endowment of the new SMU library at the new city campus, as well as for new scholarship programmes – both of which will be named after him. The Singapore Government matched the gift with $3 for every dollar donated, generating a further S$58.5 million.

SMU receives landmark gift of S$50 million from the Lee Foundation. The Singapore Government matches $3 for every dollar donated, resulting in another $150 million for SMU's endowment fund .The School of Business and a university-wide scholars programme are named in honour of the late Dr Lee Kong Chian, a businessman and philanthropist, and a firm believer in education.

SMU celebrated its pioneer class of students at its inaugural commencement ceremony. Undergraduate students who completed their 4-year programme were awarded Bachelor of Business Management or Bachelor of Accountancy degrees. 21 students earned double degrees, while 41 graduate students were awarded Master of Applied Finance degrees.

In 5 formative years, the Bukit Timah location established 4 schools, 5 undergraduate and 2 graduate degree programmes, the library and 3 centres of excellence. SMU made a symbolic move to its new and permanent 4.5-hectare, S$425 million city campus in Bras Basah with a parade of 1,000 undergraduates and academics. The area has a long association with Singapore education and is also a centre of commercial, art and cultural activity.

SMU's new city campus is officially opened by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The academic buildings and library were designed by Edward Cullinan Architects in collaboration with KNTA, taking five years of planning and construction to complete. The new 14-storey administration building at Victoria Street was designed by Cox Architects and DEG Architects.

Three blocks of conservation flats have undergone a S$13 million renovation to provide 48 apartments for 261 students at Residences @ Prinsep, which is a 10-minute walk from campus. Housing priority is given to foreign students, with a group of 'residential seniors' providing leadership and support to hostel residents.

The new School of Law will provide legal education with a strong business orientation to prepare graduates for law practice in Singapore and in the region. It will offer a four-year undergraduate law degree programme, and a five-year double degree programme combining law with accountancy, business, economics, information systems or social sciences.

The School of Economics and Social Sciences is reorganised into two separate schools – the School of Economics and the School of Social Sciences. Professor Roberto Mariano is dean of the School of Economics, while Professor David Chan is interim dean of the School of Social Sciences.

Professor Rajendra K Srivastava takes office as provost and deputy president (academic affairs) of SMU. Previously he was a senior faculty member at the Goizueta School of Business, Emory University, where he held a chair in e-commerce and marketing. He has also served as senior associate dean at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University as well as at the University of Texas at Austin.

Promoting the study of financial economics and financial econometrics in areas of strategic relevance to Singapore's economy and economies of the region, the institute carries out academic and practical research and training to bridge the gaps between economics and finance, theory and practice, and science and policy.

The institute has four major research centres for quantitative financial analysis and offers training programmes for professionals in the financial industry.

Named in honour of the late Mr Sim Kee Boon, the institute commemorates his many accomplishments in establishing Singapore's modern infrastructure.

Read about S$17 million raised for endowment fund here.

Mr J Y Pillay is one of Singapore’s pioneers who helped build the economy after the separation from Malaysia. He served in the administrative service of the Government of Singapore and was permanent secretary of the ministries of finance, defence and national development. He was chairman of the Singapore Exchange from 1999 to 2010. He served as managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation. Under his leadership Singapore Airlines became a global player.

He joins Mr Yong Pung How in the role of pro-chancellor of SMU.

SMU’s School of Law is the first school in Singapore to offer the American-style Juris Doctor (JD) postgraduate law programme. The programme enables mid-career or fresh graduates in other disciplines to pursue a degree in law, allowing them to become lawyers qualified to practise in Singapore.

SMU's Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) aims to create and grow an entrepreneurial culture amongst SMU students, staff and faculty through collaboration with the community. The institute is committed to help innovators commercialise their ideas and aspires to build robust start-ups within SMU and the larger community through research, strategy, training, business incubation and knowledge sharing.

In May 2009 Singapore’s National Research Foundation pledged S$6.5 million to IIE to promote innovation.

The pioneer students of SMU's postgraduate programme in business administration receive their degrees. They began their studies in January 2008. The SMU MBA focuses on leadership, communication and business ethics with a strong grounding in management knowledge and concepts.

Former Chief Justice of Singapore, Mr Yong Pung How served as pro-chancellor of SMU since March 2008. He becomes chancellor of SMU in August 2010, taking over from Dr Richard Hu, who served as chancellor since July 2002. Currently Mr Yong Pung How is also Distinguished Fellow of SMU's School of Law and chairman of the law school's advisory board.

Professor Arnoud De Meyer takes office as SMU's fourth president in September 2010. He comes to Singapore from the University of Cambridge (UK) where he was director of the Judge Business School and a Professor of Management Studies. Previous to that, Professor De Meyer held various senior academic and administrative positions at INSEAD, including founding dean of INSEAD’s Asia campus in Singapore.

The audience at Convocation 2010 witnessed a symbolic handover of leadership from President Howard Hunter to incoming President Arnoud De Meyer.

Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR) underscores the importance that SMU places on nurturing students to become ethical and socially responsible leaders, by guiding students to undertake local or overseas service projects that are meaningful, sustainable and have long-term impact.

C4SR oversees community engagement initiatives which were previously under the offices of Career Services and Student Life.

SMU will name its new law library, a new scholars programme for law students, and a top law student award after Madam Kwa Geok Choo, wife of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Madam Kwa was an esteemed lawyer and a brilliant student. She was the first Asian woman to graduate with first-class honours in Law from Cambridge University. She started a law firm with Mr Lee and his younger brother, and then went on to excel as a conveyancing lawyer, mentoring many others in the process.

The new Kwa Geok Choo Law Library will serve not just the SMU community, but also the legal community in Singapore and beyond.

Following his retirement as Singapore’s sixth president, Mr S R Nathan was appointed Distinguished Senior Fellow of SMU School of Social Sciences. He meets regularly with undergraduates and was guest of honour at SMU’s inaugural Social Sciences Conference on 17 March 2012. He also participated in the inaugural Singapore Mediation Lecture held on 29 August 2012. Mr S R Nathan served as Singapore’s president for 12 years, stepping down in August 2011.

Southeast Asia’s first regional institute to serve the needs of business families in this part of the world was launched by SMU. BFI @ SMU serves as a platform to bring business families together to offer insights on issues such as business succession, governance, and family ownership.

Teradata Corporation, a leading global provider of analytic data platforms, marketing applications and analytics related consulting services, announced today the winner of the 2013 Teradata University Network (TUN) Teaching Innovation Award. Associate Professor Michelle Cheong and Mr Murphy Choy from the School of Information Systems at Singapore Management University (SMU) received the Award for their teaching case on "Effective Use of Data & Decision Analytics to Improve Order Distribution in a Supply Chain".

Attorney-General Mr Steven Chong was guest of honour at the groundbreaking ceremony for SMU’s new 22,000 sqm School of Law building, which will feature the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library named in memory of the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo – the first Asian woman to graduate with first-class honours in Law from Cambridge University and the wife of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. The building will also house the David Marshall Moot Court and the SMU Pro Bono Centre.

As SMU comes up to its 15th year and has reached an inflection point, SMU Chairman and Board of Trustees together with senior leaders endorsed a powerful bold vision called SMU Vision 2025 – of becoming a multi­disciplinary university, making meaningful impact on the world.

The SMU-X Initiative focuses on learning through innovative curriculum and unconventional learning facilities, reflecting SMU’s commitment to stay ahead of innovative pedagogy by pushing boundaries and venturing into new ways of bridging theory and practice.

SMU officially launched SMU Academy, its lifelong learning unit offering professional continuing education programmes to support the government’s Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) and SkillsFuture initiatives.

Situated at the intersection of Armenian Street and Canning Rise, the 23,000-square-meter SMU School of Law building (later christened as SMU Yong Pung How School of Law), equivalent to 52 basketball courts, stands as a testament to modern architecture. Notable within it is the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library, a tribute to the late Madam Kwa Geok Choo, honoring her legacy as the wife of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Professor Lily Kong is named the University’s fifth President, succeeding Professor Arnoud De Meyer. The first woman to lead an Institute of Higher Learning in Singapore, Professor Kong brings her experience as a top academic leader and award-winning researcher and educator to the post.

Adapting to industry shifts and the new demands of the digital economy, several schools are adapting their curriculum with new programme offerings this year: 

The School of Information Systems is offering two new undergraduate degree programmes – Bachelor of Science (Computer Science), and Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law). 

The School of Law and Singapore Judicial College are jointly offering The Master of Laws in Judicial Studies, the first of its kind in the region. 

The Lee Kong Chian School of Business is launching the Blended Master’s in Management Programme, offering flexible online learning to allow candidates to study while pursuing full-time careers.

The new SMU Connexion (SMUC) building is located between SMU’s School of Accountancy and School of Law, the new building added teaching-and-learning space to SMU’s city campus.

This new pathway complements SMU’s core discipline, nurturing future clinicians who can shape the healthcare ecosystem with their knowledge of law, social sciences, business or computing. Students will pursue a four-year undergraduate programme at SMU and gain a conditional admission to Duke-NUS’ Doctor of Medicine (MD) programme to train in medicine at Duke-NUS.

Offered by the School of Information Systems, this new Professional Doctoral Degree aims to transform IT professionals into IT leaders by training them to innovate, design and manage complex IT systems.

Amidst the pandemic, the University specially curated a Virtual Graduation and Career Fair for the Class of 2020 – the only Institute of Higher Learning in Singapore to hold an online ceremony. The graduating cohort enjoyed a memorable closing of this chapter in their life!

In tune with industry shifts and demands, the School of Information Systems (SIS) has been renamed the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) to include computing, which encompasses Computer Science, Computer Engineering and Software Engineering.

The first of its kind in Singapore, the Digital Business Major aims to shape talented individuals who can support business digital transformation across industries. This second major will be jointly offered by the Lee Kong Chian School of Business and the School of Computing & Information Systems.
 

The School of Law will be renamed the Yong Pung How School of Law in honour of the late Dr Yong Pung How, Singapore’s former Chief Justice and SMU’s third Chancellor, on 11 April 2021 – which would have been Dr Yong’s 95th birthday. The renaming celebrates Dr Yong’s legacy and vision for a Singapore law school of the highest pedigree.

The Singapore Management University is pleased to announce that we have appointed three new members to its Board of Trustees with effect from 12 January 2022. Their appointment will be for an initial term of three years. The three are: (i) Mr Piyush Gupta (Group CEO, DBS Bank); (ii) Ms Deborah Ho (Country Head, Singapore/Regional Head, South East Asia, Blackrock); and (iii) Ms Melissa Khoo (Deputy Secretary (Higher Education and Skills), MOE).

Lim Hoon Foundation (LHF), a private charitable trust of the JL Family Office (JLFO), has made an endowed contribution of $3 million to establish the JLFO-LHF Scholarship (the Scholarship) at the Singapore Management University (SMU). The bond-free Scholarship aims to support undergraduates with demonstrated financial needs to achieve academic excellence and to recognise them for their accomplishments in student life and towards community outreach.

Singapore Management University (SMU) today announced the formation of the College of Integrative Studies (CIS). First of its kind in Singapore, the CIS will take individualised learning to the next level and is a strategic element of the University’s Vision 2025 of growing impact and transforming education. The CIS will serve as an incubator of interdisciplinary learning where future graduates will be equipped to look beyond the boundaries of a single discipline, enabling them to make a bold pivot to the new realities of an ever-changing world.

Mr Ho Kwon Ping (何光平), Chairman of the Singapore Management University (SMU) Board of Trustees (BOT), will step down on 11 January 2023 after an illustrious 25 years of distinguished leadership. Mr Piyush Gupta (高博德), currently a member of the SMU BOT, will succeed Mr Ho as the new Chairman of SMU from 12 January 2023.

The Singapore Management University (SMU) has today announced the establishment of its eighth school – the College of Graduate Research Studies (CGRS). The new College aims to develop world-class thought leaders who are trained to undertake cutting-edge research across disciplines, bringing about significant impact to businesses, societies and public institutions worldwide.

To this end, the College will equip SMU postgraduate research students with knowledge and competencies to develop novel solutions that are relevant to some of today's most challenging issues through the integration of disciplines, culture and industry. It will enhance integration and interdisciplinary across the various SMU postgraduate research programmes that will enable our students to gain a holistic learning experience and well-grounded approach to their research. This will be achieved through interdisciplinary programmes, shared courses and professional training workshops. Furthermore, the College will strengthen networking, cohort building and collaborative opportunities for postgraduate research students across the various programmes, facilitated through the student and alumni groups.

In our relentless pursuit of sustainability, SMU proudly unveils a cutting-edge eco-friendly building on our urban campus. This addition marks a significant stride in our commitment to fostering a greener environment, integrating state-of-the-art technologies and sustainable features. Aligned with our vision, this structure amplifies energy efficiency and minimizes our ecological footprint.

The Wee Kim Wee Centre is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the opening of the new Wee Kim Wee Room housed at Singapore Management University and the launch of the Wee Kim Wee Heritage Fund.

Singapore Management University (SMU) today opened its first overseas centre in Jakarta, Indonesia, bolstering the university’s goal to positively impact local communities as it advances its "Growth in Asia" strategic priority as part of its Vision 2025.

Singapore Management University (SMU) has received a significant gift of S$20 million towards the Yong Pung How School of Law (YPHSL). Generously gifted to SMU by Mrs Yong Wei Woo in Dr Yong's honour, this gift forms part of the 15th anniversary celebrations of SMU's law school, which was established in 2007. The announcement also coincides with the third anniversary of the passing of the late Dr Yong Pung How (11 April 1926 – 9 January 2020). The S$20 million gift will be used to establish a financial aid programme, a fellowship programme and a research fund.

Entrepreneurship is important for Singapore as a key driver of innovation and source of economic renewal. The Singapore government is actively encouraging entrepreneurship, with policies such as Startup SG Equity Initiative, Global Ready Talent Programme and Startup SG Founder, to name a few. In response to such industry needs and demand, Singapore Management University (SMU) has revamped its Master of Science in Innovation programme to the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI) programme, to nurture purpose-driven talents who will pioneer new growth opportunities for Singapore and beyond and solve pressing, real-world problems. The full-time MEI programme offers students a unique combination of Entrepreneurship and Innovation modules, complete with an enhanced, practical hands-on experience in venture building.

Singapore Management University (SMU) will launch a new Master of Sustainability (MST) (永续发展硕士课程) and a Second Major in Sustainable Societies (SSOC) (可持续社会第二主修) as part of a suite of sustainability courses and programmes to develop sustainability leaders and meet the needs of a green economy. The MST is jointly helmed by the School of Social Sciences (SOSS) and College of Integrative Studies (CIS), and SSOC is being offered by the School of Social Sciences as a second major available to all SMU undergraduates.

The Singapore Management University is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to its Board of Trustees with effect from 1 October 2023. Their appointment will be until 11 January 2026. 

The three are: (i) Dr Jeffrey Jaensubhakij (Group Chief Investment Officer, GIC); (ii) Ms Png Chin Yee (Chief Financial Officer, Temasek); and (iii) Ms Chong Yiun Lin (Deputy Secretary (Higher Education and Skills), MOE)

Singapore Management University (SMU) is taking a significant step in its mission to foster knowledge-sharing and regional collaboration with the opening of its second Overseas Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. SMU Overseas Centre Bangkok (OCB) will serve to catalyse, facilitate and coordinate for SMU in Thailand by leveraging the university's expertise and offerings, cultivating its local network and creating opportunities for new collaborations and partnerships between SMU and Thai institutions. It will also connect interested parties such as businesses, academia and potential students with the various programmes SMU has to offer.

Over 400 people – namely alumni, faculty members and students – gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) of the Singapore Management University (SMU) on 20 Oct 2023. Over the past two decades, the school has grown from strength to strength. Its alumni stand at over 6,000, its undergraduate population at over 2,300 and its postgraduate at close to 700, including about 130 doctoral students. SCIS is ranked #4 globally for Software Engineering based on output in year 2022 on CSRankings, an influential metric on research publication in computing areas. SCIS' postgraduate programme, the Master of IT in Business (MITB), has been recently ranked #2 in Asia, and #24 worldwide for the QS Business Master's Rankings 2024: Business Analytics. This demonstrates SCIS' track record in meeting the industry's demand for computing talent with a business orientation in recent years.

The Singapore Management University is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Trustees with effect from 12 January 2024. Their appointment will be for an initial term of three years.

The new members are: (1) Dr Andrew David Hamilton – President Emeritus, New York University, (2) Mr Don Lam – Chief Executive Officer & Founding Partner, VinaCapital Group.

As Asian cities urbanise at an unprecedented rate, urban policy-makers face the increasingly complex and pressing challenge of balancing urban growth with resilience and sustainability. With migration and the rapid flow of ideas online, old and new city-making practices have become uncomfortably entwined, resulting in contestation for space, resources, and municipal services. In response to megatrends that underscore the critical need to prioritise urban research, Singapore Management University (SMU) today launched the SMU Urban Institute (UI), a new research institute dedicated to multi- and inter-disciplinary research on cities in Asia. SMU UI will look beyond the development of infrastructure, and consider as well the socio-cultural aspects of urbanisation, and the balance between urban growth and sustainability.

Singapore Management University (SMU) announced the establishment of its representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, known as the SMU Overseas Centre Ho Chi Minh City (OCHCMC), taking a significant step in its mission to foster knowledge-sharing and regional collaboration as a gateway university in Asia. This strategic move, which follows the successful launch of SMU's two overseas centres in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2022 and Bangkok, Thailand in 2023 is part of SMU's Vision 2025 which aims to boost Asian growth by offering a deep understanding of Asia's economy, polity and society. By utilising the university's resources and offerings, developing its local network, and fostering new opportunities for partnerships and collaborations between SMU and Vietnamese institutions, OCHCMC will function as a catalyst, facilitator, and coordinator for SMU in Vietnam. Additionally, it will also connect interested parties such as businesses, academia, and potential students with the various programmes that SMU has to offer.