Thursday, July 13, 2006
NUS Commencement 2006
The Valedictorian Speech I Was Never Asked To Give
Good evening, Dean, faculty members, parents, friends and fellow graduates. It gives me great pleasure to address all of you tonight as an average NUS student who’s finally done after 4 years.
As all of you hold your empty cardboard scroll holders in your hands right now, one thought going through your minds should be that now is a good time to graduate. Sure, the job market is looking good and some of us even have jobs already, perhaps having had to sacrifice one day of no-pay leave to sit here in quaint gowns and appear scholarly. The economy is recovering steadily by government estimates, even as the income gap increases and the cost of living keeps going up, starting with taxi fares. The political climate is largely stable in the wake of the recent general elections, thanks to our governments’ diligence in rooting out dissenting views and shutting down sources of criticism in the media.
But those aren’t the only reasons to be glad. While we gingerly take our first steps into the working world, let us not forget the alma mater that we leave behind and look back upon the constant change and evolution that NUS is going through.
The buildings within our campus are becoming a sight to behold, more so with each passing day. Our university admin now works out of a spanking new University Hall after moving out from their recently renovated premises, no doubt an extension of the policy of continual upgrading. Amazingly, this policy co-exists in perfect harmony with campus planning that combines the modern architecture of the glass-facade University Hall with the old-world rustic charm of wooden benches in the most venerable of lecture theatres. Balancing the preservation of our history while forging ahead in modernity is a complex task made to look easy by our planners, who almost seem like they could do it blindfolded.
We must also thank our university for preparing us for the rest of our lives as Singapore citizens, for life in NUS is a perfect microcosm of life in Singapore society. The fee hike to be thrust upon subsequent batches is a reflection of the current trend of increases and was decided upon in a highly expedient fashion, in the context of the above-mentioned continual upgrading and the increasing numbers of professors being hired. As academia of NUS, they are expected to carry out ground-breaking research and write papers to change the world, and they must be paid accordingly in order to attract top talents and retain them. Like every good organization there is a healthy mix of abilities, some of them brilliant researchers and some being excellent teachers. By cross-training and exposing the researchers to the teaching environment, the aim is to bring out the best of their communication skills to share their knowledge with students. This is an admirable goal which they will continue to work towards.
The news of the fare hike decision was also delivered in a utilitarian no-nonsense fashion, after which the university admin sought to engage the student body and allow them to air their views, all of which were duly noted. Again, with parallels to our nations Great Casino Debate, this is a Singaporean way of life which NUS seeks to get students accustomed to. The concept of Asian-style democratic decision-making was constantly impressed upon us, and I’m sure most of us would by now understand the expectations of the social contract for Singapore citizens.
And what would a world-class university be without world-class marketing? If we want to continue pulling in students from the world over (or at least closer to our part of the world), then we must project the image of being an international institution. I’m sure many of you would have seen the advertisements for NUS business school, cleverly aimed at a generation brought up on Beverly Hills 90210 and Friends. The portrayal of an American household and a prospective American student foregoing many of her prestigious local colleges in favour of NUS is a fantastic piece of image management, perhaps surpassing that of even our armed forces recruitment ads. For this, I must single out the NUS business school marketing team for applause, for their creative and liberal use of advertising license.
*stops to take a sip from an unmarked stainless steel flask*
My fellow graduates, after having watched each and every one of our relatively large faculty come up to this stage individually to collect the piece of paper for which we have toiled, I’m quite sure the foremost thing on your mind (as it is on mine) is having to wake up before sunrise to head for work the next day. I therefore conclude this speech, and wish all of you the very best.
And good luck.
Good evening, Dean, faculty members, parents, friends and fellow graduates. It gives me great pleasure to address all of you tonight as an average NUS student who’s finally done after 4 years.
As all of you hold your empty cardboard scroll holders in your hands right now, one thought going through your minds should be that now is a good time to graduate. Sure, the job market is looking good and some of us even have jobs already, perhaps having had to sacrifice one day of no-pay leave to sit here in quaint gowns and appear scholarly. The economy is recovering steadily by government estimates, even as the income gap increases and the cost of living keeps going up, starting with taxi fares. The political climate is largely stable in the wake of the recent general elections, thanks to our governments’ diligence in rooting out dissenting views and shutting down sources of criticism in the media.
But those aren’t the only reasons to be glad. While we gingerly take our first steps into the working world, let us not forget the alma mater that we leave behind and look back upon the constant change and evolution that NUS is going through.
The buildings within our campus are becoming a sight to behold, more so with each passing day. Our university admin now works out of a spanking new University Hall after moving out from their recently renovated premises, no doubt an extension of the policy of continual upgrading. Amazingly, this policy co-exists in perfect harmony with campus planning that combines the modern architecture of the glass-facade University Hall with the old-world rustic charm of wooden benches in the most venerable of lecture theatres. Balancing the preservation of our history while forging ahead in modernity is a complex task made to look easy by our planners, who almost seem like they could do it blindfolded.
We must also thank our university for preparing us for the rest of our lives as Singapore citizens, for life in NUS is a perfect microcosm of life in Singapore society. The fee hike to be thrust upon subsequent batches is a reflection of the current trend of increases and was decided upon in a highly expedient fashion, in the context of the above-mentioned continual upgrading and the increasing numbers of professors being hired. As academia of NUS, they are expected to carry out ground-breaking research and write papers to change the world, and they must be paid accordingly in order to attract top talents and retain them. Like every good organization there is a healthy mix of abilities, some of them brilliant researchers and some being excellent teachers. By cross-training and exposing the researchers to the teaching environment, the aim is to bring out the best of their communication skills to share their knowledge with students. This is an admirable goal which they will continue to work towards.
The news of the fare hike decision was also delivered in a utilitarian no-nonsense fashion, after which the university admin sought to engage the student body and allow them to air their views, all of which were duly noted. Again, with parallels to our nations Great Casino Debate, this is a Singaporean way of life which NUS seeks to get students accustomed to. The concept of Asian-style democratic decision-making was constantly impressed upon us, and I’m sure most of us would by now understand the expectations of the social contract for Singapore citizens.
And what would a world-class university be without world-class marketing? If we want to continue pulling in students from the world over (or at least closer to our part of the world), then we must project the image of being an international institution. I’m sure many of you would have seen the advertisements for NUS business school, cleverly aimed at a generation brought up on Beverly Hills 90210 and Friends. The portrayal of an American household and a prospective American student foregoing many of her prestigious local colleges in favour of NUS is a fantastic piece of image management, perhaps surpassing that of even our armed forces recruitment ads. For this, I must single out the NUS business school marketing team for applause, for their creative and liberal use of advertising license.
*stops to take a sip from an unmarked stainless steel flask*
My fellow graduates, after having watched each and every one of our relatively large faculty come up to this stage individually to collect the piece of paper for which we have toiled, I’m quite sure the foremost thing on your mind (as it is on mine) is having to wake up before sunrise to head for work the next day. I therefore conclude this speech, and wish all of you the very best.
And good luck.
# posted by BloozeGit @ 11:02 pm 
