Press Releases
Yale and NUS in Discussion to Set Up Liberal Arts College
As part of his visit to the US and Canada from 7 to 16 September 2010, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, Dr Ng Eng Hen, visited Yale University on 10 September 2010 to strengthen the warm relationship between Singapore and Yale.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) and Yale have been in discussions to establish a liberal arts college in Singapore, and on 10 September 2010 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work towards this landmark collaboration. Dr Ng was present to witness the event.
In a statement made during the meeting with the Yale leadership and its faculty, Dr Ng said, “It is timely to consider introducing liberal arts education in Singapore. Yale is a world-class university and has a strong tradition in liberal arts education. The Government is supportive of NUS’s and Yale’s efforts to develop a liberal arts model that will attract top students, and that is contextualised to Singapore and Asia.”
President of Yale, Professor Richard C. Levin, said, “It is very exciting to contemplate collaborating with the National University of Singapore to create a new educational model for the 21st century, contextualised especially for Asia. There has never been greater need for undergraduate education that cultivates critical inquiry. In a world that is increasingly interconnected, the qualities of mind developed through liberal education are perhaps more indispensable than ever in preparing students to understand and appreciate differences across cultures and national boundaries, and to address problems for which there are no easy solutions.”
Said President of NUS, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, “Our University’s strong and warm partnership with Yale has resulted in several innovative programmes over the last few years. We look forward, with excitement, to further extending our collaborations to an area that is very important for the future, for Singapore and beyond. This MOU with Yale brings us a step closer to making the vision of a liberal arts college in Singapore and at NUS a reality.”
With the signing of the MOU, NUS and Yale will begin work on the details of the collaboration.