New book by NTU alumni draws donors for new student leadership development fund
The pioneer batch of graduates from the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI), the predecessor of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), has successfully attracted contributions from about 30 organisations and individuals to start up NTU's new Student Leadership Fund.
The Class of '85 had initially targeted to raise $500,000 for the new Student Leadership Development Fund that aims to provide financial support for the development of student leaders at NTU, particularly engineering undergraduates. Student leaders will be able to tap on the fund to attend leadership development programmes in Singapore and abroad. The fund will also enable students to represent NTU at local and overseas events, and finance community projects initiated by the student leaders to benefit the poor and underprivileged.
The fund-raising initiative is being done in conjunction with the launch of One Degree, Many Choices, a new book that aims to inspire young people to study engineering, by showcasing the diverse career paths of NTI's pioneer Engineering Class of '85.
Co-published by the NTU Alumni Club and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, the book features the life stories of 557 engineering alumni in sectors such as engineering, finance, and life sciences, academia and public service. Targeted at youths in their late teens, the 200-page book chronicles the life stories of the pioneer Class of '85 that mirror the economic development of Singapore over the past 25 years.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will officially launch the book at a special dinner this evening at the NTU Alumni Club. DPM Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, is currently the most senior politician in Singapore with an engineering background. The event is also part of a broader initiative to encourage engineering education in Singapore.
Explaining the motivation for giving, Mr Aziz Merchant, Executive Director of Keppel Offshore & Marine Technology Centre (Deepwater), Keppel FELS (Engineering) and Keppel's Deepwater Technology Group said, "We are making this sponsorship to recognise the good work of this publication and also to encourage more school leavers to pursue careers in engineering. Singapore's offshore and marine industry is always in need of a ready pool of skilled engineering talents. Our line of work requires expertise and experience that are honed over the long term. Therefore, it is important that we support and collaborate with the government and the industry to attract, nurture, educate and develop a healthy pipeline of skilled engineers."
Commenting on the significance of the alumni's efforts, Professor Er Meng Hwa, NTU's Vice President (International Affairs), and who was also Founding Dean of the university's College of Engineering when it was established in 2001, said, "We recognise that young people today have many choices besides engineering. So this effort by the alumni is truly timely. Considering how Singapore's success is driven by the bedrock laid by engineers, including the NTI pioneers, the need to inspire future generations to take up engineering is a worthy endeavour. NTU also welcomes the initiative to set up the new Student Leadership Fund. The Fund will enable NTU to enhance the opportunities for students to practise their leadership skills in a variety of ways and to gain the skills necessary to sharpen their abilities."
Since 1985, NTU has produced more than 60,700 engineering graduates, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The College of Engineering today has almost 14,500 students, representing 43 per cent of NTU's total student population of more than 33,500 undergraduate and postgraduate students. This makes NTU's College of Engineering among the largest in the world.
According to the Thomson Reuters (formerly ISI) Web of Knowledge, the research output of NTU's College of Engineering stands among the top 4 in the world. The College also contributed towards NTU's 26th position under the Engineering & Technology category of the QS World University Rankings 2011, moving up 10 places from the previous year.
In November 2011, NTU's School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering and School of Computer Engineering were both ranked number one in Singapore and fourth in the world, after big league institutions MIT, University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University. Conducted by the Higher Education Evaluation & Accreditation Council of Taiwan, a body that reviews standards in higher education and research, the rankings take into account criteria such as research productivity and impact.
The book One Degree, Many Choices, which retails at $19.90, excluding GST, is available at major bookstores.
Provided by Nanyang Technological University
