|
|
|
(Source: sg.xinhuanet.com)
|
SMU China Initiatives
This Forum is an integral part of SMU's China Initiatives which was established in the second quarter of 2012. The SMU China Initiatives aims to raise our profile in China as a research university in the broad field of social sciences. By doing so, we want to contribute to the Singapore-China collaboration in business, government and civic society by nurturing China-ready and bicultural graduates who are able to function effectively in the business and financial environment in China. We do so by providing many more opportunities for exchange and internships. The other major undertaking of the SMU China Initiatives is to actively drive and strengthen our collaboration with existing and new partner universities in research and postgraduate education. Our aim is to play a key role in creating and sharing knowledge and thought leadership that will benefit both Singapore and China.
Our China Strategy
SMU's long-term strategy in China consists of four priorities:
First, and as I mentioned already, we want to raise the profile and reputation of SMU in China. This is part of our overall strategy to build the SMU brand and image internationally. We have strong collaborations in Europe and the US, and have started moving into China, India and ASEAN. In fact, SMU started our engagement with China back in 2007 when our Lee Kong Chian School of Business began collaborating with Xiamen University on a Master of Applied Finance China programme. By raising our profile in China, SMU hopes to continue to attract high quality Chinese faculty and postgraduate students to undertake teaching, research and learning in a holistic environment at SMU. This will enable us to contribute to SMU’s mission to generate leading-edge research with global impact and produce broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy.
Secondly, we aim to improve the quality of students from China admitted into SMU’s undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes.
Thirdly, we want to broaden the engagement between SMU faculty members and their counterparts at leading Chinese universities in joint research and PhD co-supervision. This is part of our strategic goal of developing SMU as an Asian Knowledge Hub. Our emphasis is on generating rigorous, high-impact, cross-disciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance, SMU is therefore constantly looking for opportunities to deepen the creation and transmission of knowledge by working with like-minded partners, including our counterparts in China. I am sure the unique insights of China generated from this research will be useful to our students, the academia, governments, and businesses.
Our fourth priority is to enhance student exchange programmes and internships in China for SMU students. At SMU, one of the ways we promote multicultural learning is by giving our students global exposure. We believe this will help broaden our students’ view of the world, and develop their cross-cultural knowledge and competencies which are critical in the world we live in. As many of you will already know, our aim is to have 100% of our students experience some form of global exposure. In 2011 to 2012, we registered a 77% participation rate which has since seen an increase to 84% for this year's graduating cohort. At the same time, we have hosted the largest number of international exchange students - 834 students from 168 university partners spanning 43 countries. China, which has a number of leading universities and numerous world-renowned companies, will be invaluable in enhancing our students’ learning experiences and broadening their understanding of the country.
|
