Staff posing before the Bodhi Tree in Campus Green on 2019 National Day Observance Ceremony

This photograph captures a group of Singapore Management University staff members during the National Day Observance Ceremony on 8 August 2019. Wearing National Day T-shirts and holding miniature Singapore flags, the group commemorates the occasion in a display of national pride, unity, and belonging within the SMU community. Prominently featured in the background is SMU’s historic Bodhi Tree (Ficus religiosa), believed to have been planted in the 19th century on the grounds of the former prison complex that once occupied the site. Uprooted in 2005 during the construction of the SMU campus, the tree was carefully preserved, replanted, and integrated into the Campus Green landscape. As a symbol of wisdom, compassion, and hope, the Bodhi Tree serves as a living link between the site’s historical past and SMU’s continuing journey as a modern university.