Singapore Management University 
From Singapore Hotels & Singapore Lifestyle
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| Established | 2000 |
|---|---|
| School type | Private |
| President | Howard Hunter |
| Provost | Tan Chin Tiong |
| Location | Singapore |
| Enrollment | 3800 |
| Faculty | 155 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Address | 81 Victoria Street |
Singapore Management University (Abbreviation: SMU; Chinese: 新加坡管理大学; Malay: Universiti Pengurusan Singapura), officially incorporated on January 12, 2000, is Singapore's third University. Singapore Management University is known to be different and for spurring the Singapore Government to rethink how Universities here should be funded. Singapore Management University holds the unique position of being Singapore's first private University funded by the government.
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Location
Formerly occupying Singapore's historical Bukit Timah campus, Singapore Management University has recently moved into its permanent campus right in the heart of Singapore. The new state-of-the-art 4.5 hectare campus, located in the civic district of the city, will support the university's eventual 6,500 undergraduates, along with students in its future graduate programmes.
The University's Approach
Unlike the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) which were set up as statutory boards, Singapore Management University is a not-for-profit corporation. This means that Singapore Management University can set its own admission criteria, fees and faculty salary scale. The Singapore Government realised that if Singapore Management University was to be different from National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), those entrusted with setting it up had to be left relatively free to do what they wanted.
The Singapore Management University approach to preparing graduates for an era of unparalleled choices is a focused but broad-based education. Its distinctive educational and administrative practices are modeled after American institutions, in particular the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which has played a central role in Singapore Management University's development. Singapore Management University's curriculum aims to groom outstanding business leaders and creative entrepreneurs capable of excelling in a rapidly changing and dynamic world. Singapore Management University was originally slated to issue joint degrees with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. However, the agreement was called off by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania for undisclosed reasons.
Courses
Staff
Singapore Management University is headed by globally renowned academics such as President Howard Hunter, Provost Tan Chin Tiong, Dean David Montgomery, Dean Bobby Mariano, Dean Steve Miller etc. Former presidents include Professor Ronald Frank and Professor Janice Bellace. The faculty is handpicked from institutions grounded in academic, research and practice associations, to deliver cutting-edge knowledge in the new economy.
Singapore Management University has also recruited prolific faculty members such as former Ambassador, Pang Eng Fong, poet, writer and creative thinking expert Kirpal Singh, and actress, screenwriter, Dr. Margaret Chan to develop the broad-based education SMU aims to deliver.
Marketing
Singapore Management University has sparked controversy in the local and regional media by establishing its position as being "different" from the local legacy universities, challenging their pedagogy, operations and strategic development. Its advertisements, which feature Singapore Management University undergraduates in various acrobatic poses, have served to invoke comments about exactly how different, and how much better Singapore Management University graduates are.
Singapore Management University has sparked positive responses from the local Deputy Prime Minister, who encouraged the other 2 local universities to model themselves after Singapore Management University. In addition, the undergraduates and pioneer-batch graduates have been acknowledged to be "confident and articulate" by several MNCs and global firms.
Forging Ahead
In an era of exacting global competition for skills and innovations, Singapore Management University is primed to deliver the nurturing of diverse and relevant talents in a borderless world.
Education Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam who was recently interviewed about Singapore Management University said the young institution's greatest contribution to higher education in Singapore has been to be the "change agent of the university space". He said: ""SMU has competed as an upstart with established players. It got them to rethink what they themselves are doing".
Admission
In 2005, Singapore Management University received 9,400 applications for the 1,100 places it offered. As much as 80 per cent of those who enrolled in its business school last year, had been offered places by both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), even though Singapore Management University charges S$570 a year more than the other two local universities.
Admission to Singapore Management University is based on a broad range of criteria - including A-Level results or Polytechnic results, SAT scores, a panel interview, a reflective essay, and the other qualities and achievements outside class of an applicant.
The following are the average SAT I scores for the 2004 freshmen cohort:
- GCE A-level students average : 1310
- Polytechnic students average : 1210
- International students average : 1340
Vision & Mission of SMU
Board of Trustees of SMU
Wharton Collaboration
Singapore Management University's collaboration with one of the world's leading business schools, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, brings the best of the US system to SMU students.
Wharton has consistently been ranked as the best US business school, both in its undergraduate and MBA programmes. It is recognised around the world for its innovative leadership in business education, its broad academic strengths across every major discipline, and at every level of business education.
Singapore Management University has signed a five-year collaborative agreement with Wharton to develop the university into a centre of educational excellence for management, business and finance. The collaborative agreement has three main aims: to provide a tested model for curriculum design; to develop an outstanding Singapore Management University faculty; and to conduct joint research under the umbrella of the Wharton-SMU Research Center.
The Wharton model for Singapore Management University's broad-based curriculum is adapted for the challenges of doing business for the world, from Asia. It adopts a flexible, multidisciplinary approach towards managing the increasingly complex demands of modern businesses, notably with an emphasis on computer literacy and technology, company internships, business visits and student exchange programmes. The objective is to develop well-rounded students with the ability to focus on specialised careers.
This innovative tertiary programme is led by Singapore Management University's founding President, Professor Janice Bellace, who was the Deputy Dean at Wharton and originally implemented the curriculum there. She also chairs the Wharton-SMU Research Center.
"We hope to be able to tap the expertise and support of Wharton's faculty and extensive alumni network of public and private sector leaders, while offering Wharton a "beach-head in Asia"..."
- Dr Tony Tan, Deputy Prime Minister
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