Excellence

Professors Lim Ee-Peng and Zhu Feida from the School of Information Systems were recognised at the recent Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining (PAKDD) Awards.

SMU made environmental sustainability a core part of its mission long before this eco-conscious ethos started trending in the current zeitgeist. This dedication to sustainability was officially recognised at the recent Building and Construction Authority (BCA) awards ceremony, where three individual projects – SMU City Campus, SMU Administration Building, and SMU Prinsep Street Residences – each received a Green Mark Platinum Award.

Lim Kexin, a tax director at PwC, recently became the first SMU graduate to be a member of the University’s Board of Trustees To say Lim Kexin is an over-achiever is an understatement.

When Professor Chandran Kukathas recalls his time as an undergraduate in the 1970s, he remembers what he describes as rather carefree days, despite having considerably fewer available resources compared to students of this era. “There were many inconveniences back then, including the problem of getting access to readings in a world without the internet, PDF files and digital journals. What I most envy of my students now is how much material is at their fingertips,” he said.

With several global business schools boasting decades of heritage, and some founded over a century ago, the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) was certainly a neophyte in the realm of business education when it opened its doors in 2000. A mere 19 years on, we are indeed heartened by the rate at which LKCSB has grown its reputation, becoming one of the top business schools in Asia — and the world.

When Professor Timothy Clark was himself an undergraduate, universities were mere purveyors of a straightforward education. Institutions of higher education were more focussed on an academic education – with minimal emphasis placed upon the application of research in the real world or preparing students for their careers after university. As Prof Clark recalled, “we were not well-supported to think about our futures beyond the university”.