Purpose

Inaugural Matriculation
Singapore Management University’s first students attend matriculation activities to complete their admission into the university. The inaugural matriculation day was held at the Evans Road building on 24 July 2000.
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    DPM Tony Tan Visits SMU
    Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan visiting with students in Singapore Management University’s library at the Evans Road building on 8 September 2000. Standing, left to right: Dean Tsui Kai Chong, Chairman Ho Kwon Ping, DPM Tony Tan, Trustee Gan See Khem and Deputy President Tan Teck Meng.
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      Reflections Talent Show
      Participants at Singapore Management University's end-of-year festivities at the Tanglin Community Club in December 2000.
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        Professor Arnoud De Meyer’s book launch
        SMU launches book “Building Excellence in Higher Education: Singapore's Experience” by Professor Emeritus Arnoud De Meyer
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          SMU Launches Overseas Centre in Ho Chi Minh City
          Official launch of the Overseas Centre Ho Chi Minh City on 25 June 2024, currently located at The Sentry Sonatus Building, 15 Le Thanh Ton Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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            SMU & Singapore Sports Council Leadership Seminar 2013
            SMU President Arnoud De Meyer with Minister Indranee Rajah and other invited guests at the launch of the 2013 Leadership Symposium seminar for future leaders
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              SMU & Singapore Sports Council Leadership Seminar 2013
              Minister Indranee Rajah with SMU students at the 2013 Leadership Symposium seminar for future leaders
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                SMU community at the Memorial Service for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew
                SMU community coming together to pay their respects at the Memorial Service for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew
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                  At the SMU Diverse-City 2019
                  The SMU community at the SMU Diverse-City 2019.
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                    SMU hosted the CNA Perspectives Season 7 episode 6
                    SMU hosted the CNA Perspectives Season 7 episode 6 “Belt, Road Initiative: Will ASEAN remain in the driving seat?” which featured an esteemed panel of thought leaders including SMU President Arnoud De Meyer, Omar Shahzad, Group CEO, Meinhardt Group, James Crabtree, Associate Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, Richard Fenning, Chief Executive Officer, Control Risks, and Moderator Mr Teymoor Nabili.
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                      Enterprise & Entrepreneur Series by SMU and The EDB Society Part 2
                      The EDB Society and SMU hosted the second part of the six-part Enterprise & Entrepreneur Series – Transforming Industries Creating Value, with harnessing digital technology and innovation on the agenda. Panelist include Mr Lai Chang Wen, Co-founder CEO Ninja Van; Ms Gwenda Fong, Director, Strategy Division, Cyber Security Agency; SMU Vice-Provost (Research) Professor Steven Miller; Mr Joel Sng, CEO Co-founder honestbee; Mr Wong Joo Seng, Founder CEO, Spark Systems; and Ms Janet Young, MD and Head Group Channels & Digitalisation UOB.
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                        Mr Tan Kiat How (IMDA) at an event in 2019 commemorating SMU and Google partnership
                        Mr Tan Kiat How, Chief Executive Officer of Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) at an event in 2019 commemorating SMU and Google partnership to offer the SMU-Google Squared Data & Analytics Programme.
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                          SMU Provost Professor Timothy Clark delivering his Opening Address at the inaugural INDEX Symposium in 2023
                          In October 2023, SMU organized its first INDEX symposium, titled “Industry Project-based Experiential Learning (INDEX) in 21st Century Asia: Industry, Integration, Innovation, Internationalisation”. It brought together experienced practitioners, educators, and industry experts who shared insights and best practices on curriculum development and models of experiential learning. The symposium provided a valuable platform on which like-minded individuals committed to shaping the future of education could network and collaborate. In his opening address, SMU Provost Professor Timothy Clark reinforced the importance SMU placed on connecting classroom concepts with real-world problems through the innovative INDEX pedagogy.
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                            A line up display of posters done by students in SMU Lab
                            In SMU Lab, Assistant Professor Charlotte Setijadia (left) and staff from Nestle Singapore reviewing a series of posters showcasing the dedication of students from the 2019 SMU-X course, "Managing Diversity in Asia." This course, in collaboration with the School of Social Sciences, aims to equip students with the skills needed to become effective and empathetic managers in diverse multicultural settings. In the course, students learn analytical frameworks that help them understand issues related to inequality and diversity in contemporary Asian societies. The students collaborated with Nestle Singapore, proposing various recommendations to enhance gender diversity and inclusion in its workplace.
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                              SMU-X won the Outstanding Industry–Academia Collaboration Award (Higher Education) at EDUtech Asia 2025
                              On 6th November, Mr Kevin Koh, Head, SMU-X, Singapore Management University, received the Outstanding Industry–Academia Collaboration Award (Higher Education) from Mr Allan Wong, Director of Information Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, at EDUtech Asia 2025. The landmark event, held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, marked its 10th year as one of Asia’s leading platforms for education innovation. The award honours higher education institutions that have forged innovative, scalable and forward-looking partnerships with industry to develop groundbreaking programmes or research partnerships, and SMU-X has once again been acknowledged as a model for transforming learning with real-world impact, highlighting the its long-standing commitment to experiential learning and meaningful engagement with industry and community partners.
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                                The Jumping Student : the inaugural set of branding advertisement that makes SMU unique
                                Launched in 2002, The Jumping Student marked SMU’s first major advertising campaign and boldly introduced the message that “We’re different.” At the time, the University had begun its journey as a business school, hence, the tagline “SMU. We mean business.” The inaugural advertisement featured our students Mr Ng Peng Fong, Ms Marina Rumi Ibrahim and Ms Elsie Lin doing handstand, jumping and back bend respectively. The campaign stood out in the local tertiary landscape, as no other institution had previously undertaken such a striking branding effort. Earlier advertisements in the sector were largely informational. In contrast, SMU’s campaign featured a large, dynamic image of a student captured in bold pose, paired with a confident, attention-grabbing tagline. Running alongside the advertising campaign was a proactive media engagement strategy. The University regularly pitched student stories to the media—at least two each week—and invited journalists to experience the SMU difference firsthand by attending classes held in small, interactive classrooms. The campaign communicated SMU’s distinctive pedagogy, flexible curriculum, and broad-based educational approach, positioning the University as one that nurtured creative, confident, and articulate graduates. This messaging resonated strongly with the wider community, including employers, parents, and prospective students, who were excited by an approach that stood apart from traditional norms. It was the led by Ms Sharon Tan, who join SMU in 2002 as the Director, Corporate Communications. She played a key role in shaping the reputation and brand identity of the young university with the defining ‘SMU, we are Different’ campaign. The marketing campaign, together with a strong media strategy, successfully engaged key stakeholders of the university and cemented the bold and dynamic profile of the university.
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                                  Congratulatory advertisement released by SMU in 2004 for the pioneer batch of undergraduates
                                  To celebrate the graduation of its pioneer undergraduate class and the second cohort of Master of Applied Finance students in 2004, Singapore Management University created a distinctive advertisement that honoured every graduate by name.
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                                    Crowds of students thronged the in-person Fair at the SMU Concourse in the first-ever hybrid Study Abroad Fair in 2023
                                    After conducting virtual editions of the Study Abroad Fair (SAF) in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, GEO ran the first ever hybrid SAF in 2023. Over a thousand students thronged the in-person Fair at SMU Concourse and seized the chance to engage with representatives from 22 partner universities and 53 exchange students from various continents, gaining valuable insights into what to expect from an exchange or global exposure programme at different universities.
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                                      Students at the University College London booth during the 2023 Study Abroad Fair
                                      The Centre of Global Education and Opportunities (GEO) hosted its first hybrid Study Abroad Fair (SAF) in 2023, as in-person overseas immersion opportunities resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic. The in-person SAF was held in SMU Concourse and was abuzz with excitement as students explore the University's diverse Study Abroad programmes, destinations, and partner universities, including the popular International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP). In the photo, students are seen engaging with a representative from University College London (UCL).
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                                        Singapore Management University and FairPrice Group partner to reduce food waste
                                        Group photo of SMU Students who were part of the Food Waste Management Project with representatives from Fairprice Group. As part of the Singapore Management University’s SMU-X initiative, students from the School of Accountancy and Lee Kong Chian School of Business worked together with FairPrice Group (FPG) to come up with a Food Waste Management Monitoring Dashboard to better visualise and analyse data to help with food waste management at the supermarket chain. This was achieved through the implementation of a write-off monitoring dashboard and the application of predictive analytics. From August to November 2022, the project team leveraged on Tableau dashboarding and Python predictive analytics to identify which were the outlets with the most write-off and which products contribute the most write-off.
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                                          SMU-XO students with GoPizza founder and SMU alumnus, Jay Lim
                                          In the front row from left to right: Professor Mark Chong and Jay Lim, the founder and CEO of GoPizza. In 2022, following the Covid pandemic, the first group of students who ventured overseas under the SMU-X Overseas (SMU-XO) programme are those enrolled in the "Business of the Creative Industries" course. The course introduced them to the business models of cultural content producers and the role of digital platforms in enabling these models. In addition, students explored the key characteristics of the emerging creator economy and the associated social media entertainment. In Seoul, Korea, they learnt about its culture, explored renowned sites like Hongdae, Gyeongbokgung Palace and took part in a networking session with SMU alumni living in the city. They also toured Hanyang University and learnt valuable insights from presentations by TikTok Korea, Netflix Korea, Teammates, 11018, GoPizza, Enterprise Singapore, and a Korean make-up YouTuber. The trip ended with a presentation to the Gushcloud team, where they applied their knowledge to a significant real-world project.
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                                            SMU wins prestigious THE Awards Asia 2025 – Teaching & Learning Strategy of the Year
                                            SMU's Vice President (Partnerships & Engagement) Prof Lim Sun Sun receiving the prestigious award on behalf of the University. Singapore Management University (SMU) is proud to announce that it has been named Winner in the ‘Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year’ category at the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Awards Asia 2025. The accolade was awarded in recognition of SMU-X, the University’s flagship industry project-based experiential learning framework that integrates academic knowledge with real-world industry projects. It marks a significant milestone for SMU-X, pioneered 10 years ago as a differentiating pedagogy, underscoring the University’s longstanding commitment to redefining learning through interdisciplinary, collaborative, and experiential approaches.
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                                              Career consultation for alumni
                                              Ms. Prasanthi Guda (Right), Head of Undergraduate Careers at the Dato' Kho Hui Meng Career Centre (DKHMCC), is seen providing a one-on-one career consultation to an alumnus. In 2018, the Centre extended its support services to alumni for three years post-graduation. This was later enhanced to lifelong support in May 2005.
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                                                A Start-Ups Corner in the 2016 Career Fair enabled students to interact with founders and early-stage ventures
                                                In the October 2016 SMU Career Fair, the Start-Ups Corner showcased the University’s forward‑looking response to Singapore’s burgeoning start‑up ecosystem. This dedicated segment brought students face‑to‑face with founders and early‑stage ventures, offering firsthand exposure to innovation‑driven careers and entrepreneurial pathways. Set within the wider Career Fair, the Start-Ups Corner reflected SMU’s commitment to nurturing entrepreneurial mindsets and expanding students’ perspectives beyond traditional employment routes.
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                                                  Professor Lily Kong delivered her remarks at the inaugural Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) Symposium in January 2026
                                                  SMU President, Professor Lily Kong delivered her plenary remarks at the inaugural Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) Symposium in January 2026. Bringing together 300 scholars, educators, and community leaders from Singapore and abroad, the symposium explored the role of Islamic higher education in preparing future leaders and professionals for challenging, diverse societies.
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