0
A Good University Teaches, A Great University Transforms
Posted by HuiHui
on
1:33 PM
I like Professor Shih Choon Fong's speech. He is the president of NUS (yeah..NUS was corporatized early this year and that's where the title president comes from). Whoever the text writer is, he certainly has the gift of turning something as ugly as "kiasu-ness" into something really noble.
"In a competitive, fast changing world, we must run. We must run just to survive. We must run twice as fast in order to have a shot at global excellence. Aspiration for global excellence must be linked to purpose. Running faster must be about running somewhere – somewhere worth running towards. That somewhere must be a meaningful and hopefully, exciting place."
"We must see our students as unique individuals, each with their own passions and aspirations. They need opportunities to discover their talents. They need space to explore beyond their immediate interests. They need challenges to stretch them and develop their potential to their fullest. I would like to tell a story to remind us that the young like to be stretched and challenged, and they can find their own paths. It also helps if the process is fun, and they can feel proud."
Now I know who to thank to for the never ending assignments, sleepless night "savoring" the technical papers, eternal hours in the lab, out of the syllabus exam questions, etc.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/president/speeches/2006/soua_1.htm
"In a competitive, fast changing world, we must run. We must run just to survive. We must run twice as fast in order to have a shot at global excellence. Aspiration for global excellence must be linked to purpose. Running faster must be about running somewhere – somewhere worth running towards. That somewhere must be a meaningful and hopefully, exciting place."
"We must see our students as unique individuals, each with their own passions and aspirations. They need opportunities to discover their talents. They need space to explore beyond their immediate interests. They need challenges to stretch them and develop their potential to their fullest. I would like to tell a story to remind us that the young like to be stretched and challenged, and they can find their own paths. It also helps if the process is fun, and they can feel proud."
Now I know who to thank to for the never ending assignments, sleepless night "savoring" the technical papers, eternal hours in the lab, out of the syllabus exam questions, etc.
http://www.nus.edu.sg/president/speeches/2006/soua_1.htm