What should a university stand for in an age of 100-year lifespans, artificial intelligence, and pressing societal challenges? At the launch of her new book Universities Reinvented: Shaping Legacy and Impact for a New World, SMU President Professor Lily Kong invited leaders, policymakers, and educators to reimagine the very role of higher education.
The book is drawn from her IPS-SR Nathan Lectures.Over three lectures in that series from October to November 2024, Professor Kong illustrated how the concept of “a university” has reflected changing societal contexts at different points of history, examined what it now stands for as humanity confronts the very real possibility of a 100-year lifespan, as well as touched on the responsibility that universities owe to the world beyond academia.
It also collects the highlights from her dialogue with the audience after each lecture.
At the book launch at the Institute of Policy Study (IPS), of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Professor Kong called on university leaders to exercise moral courage and become “stewards of possibility”, preparing students not just for jobs but for thoughtful engagement with society.
Guest-of-Honour Minister for Education, and Minister-in-Charge of Social Services Integration Desmond Lee endorsed Professor Kong’s vision, aligning it with Singapore’s national priorities: nurturing interdisciplinary talent, strengthening lifelong learning, and driving impactful research in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
Minister Lee said: “Amidst the rapidly evolving higher education landscape, I encourage our Autonomous Universities (AUs) to teach beyond disciplines, learn beyond ages, and to conduct research beyond boundaries.
“At the Ministry of Education, we will continue to support our AUs as key brain trusts of Singapore and partner you to develop our people's potential to solve the challenges facing our society and the world both today and tomorrow.”
The launch hosted around 120 guests, including academics, policymakers, and industry partners, and was covered in The Business Times and Lianhe Zaobao.
Driving conversations on higher education reform
Themes from Professor Kong’s lectures — especially that of the “university for the 100-year life” — have resonated beyond Singapore, sparking debate in the UK House of Lords, where Lord Jim Knight led a discussion on the economic, social, and personal value of lifelong learning.
Professor Kong has also continued advancing these ideas through various platforms, including in an editorial for the Edwin Group and a Straits Times op-ed published in June 2025. At the book launch, she framed her work as an invitation:
“May it be a stimulus, inviting policymakers, university leaders, academics, industry, and community stakeholders to collaborate thoughtfully in shaping higher education and societies into ones that are resilient, responsive, and relevant.”
She also shared with the audience about a “fourth lecture” that would have explored the idea of moral courage: the quiet but quintessential quality needed for universities to lead with integrity, defend academic freedom, and anchor themselves in purpose amidst shifting societal expectations. She also sketched a “fifth lecture” — one that asked how Asian universities might move beyond catching up to Western models, and instead define success on their own terms, shaping global conversations from an Asian vantage point.
Universities Reinvented is now available at Kinokuniya Orchard, The SMU Shop, and the World Scientific Webstore.
See also: SMU President Prof Lily Kong launches Universities Reinvented | SMU Newsroom
