SMU Commencement 2024 kicked off with an opening ceremony on 30 July 2024 for more than 1,000 graduates, award winners, and their family and friends.
The Guest-of-Honour was Mr Sherman Kwek, group chief executive officer, City Developments Limited (CDL), who helped mark the beginning of a newest part of the life journey for the latest batch of SMU graduates.
This year’s ceremony also saw various milestones for SMU. The 3,792-strong class of 2024 represented SMU’s 21st and largest batch of graduates since the University was established in 2000. There were 1,389 masters degree and Juris Doctor degree graduates, and 96 doctorate graduates. Among the bachelors degree graduates, 73 received double degrees.
In addition, the Class of 2024 comprises the pioneer batch of graduates from SMU’s Bachelor of Science (Computing & Law), as well as the Doctor of Engineering programmes. Both these programmes had welcomed their first intake in August 2020.
SMU’s Bachelor of Science (Computing and Law) programme is designed to equip students with the skills to bridge law and technology, with the multi-disciplinary programme offering advanced technology tracks such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems, business analytics and digital business solutioning.
The Doctor of Engineering programme aims to train professionals to perform deep technical industrial research and translate their output into innovative products and services.
Mr Ho Kwon Ping conferred the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa)
At the ceremony, SMU also conferred upon Mr Ho Kwon Ping, the founding Chairman of the Board of SMU, the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) in recognition of his enormous and enduring contributions.
Delivering the citation for Mr Ho Kwon Ping, current SMU Chairman Mr Piyush Gupta noted Mr Ho’s exceptional achievements and service to SMU and his dedication to transforming the educational landscape in Singapore.
He also commented on Mr Ho’s unwavering commitment to broadening the University's scope beyond business management to a more expansive notion of “management”, which has been instrumental in establishing SMU’s identity.
“His efforts ensured that SMU is internationally recognised for its world-class research, emphasising rigorous, high-impact, multi- and interdisciplinary studies that address globally relevant issues, impacting business, government, and society.”
Urging graduates to prioritise well-being and mental health
Amid the celebration of our graduates’ achievements, SMU President Professor Lily Kong took the chance to remind graduates to prioritise their well-being and mental health.
“Today in social media, we want people to read what we write, to like what we write. It creates a sense of community in cyberspace, but it can also be absolutely devastating. People can be extremely harsh in social media, and it can have an impact on you. And so that message of resilience, mental well-being on the one hand and on the other, not living only in the world of social media, and being sometimes devastated is so important.” she said during her address.
She also encouraged graduates to continue to seek knowledge as education is a lifelong journey and to not focus on careerism but rather to make a difference to community and society.
See also: SMU celebrates the graduation of the Class of 2024 | SMU Newsroom.
