120 years of NUS – Evolving with purpose in a changing world

By Tan Eng Chye and Chen Zhi Xiong

What we have learned

Relevance. NUS founding father Tan Jiak Kim envisioned a medical school to improve the lives of people. That legacy lives on. Our programmes respond dynamically to the changing needs of education, industry and society. Our students and alumni are not only prepared for the future. They are shaping it as captains of industry, professionals in diverse fields, and innovators across the globe, including many from our oldest school, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

Resilience. We have braved world wars, societal upheavals, geopolitical instabilities, economic crises, and health emergencies such as SARS and COVID-19. These challenges did not derail us. Instead, they strengthened our resolve, powering us forward. Resilience is the wing that will take us through turbulence and a light shining through uncertainty.

Relationships. Our connections within faculties and departments in NUS, across Singapore and the world, have formed a bedrock of trust and shared purpose. Whether through our contributions to national health education, our impact on local communities or our global leadership in academia, these relationships have amplified our influence. Physiology is one such example. As the oldest department in training healthcare professionals, it continues to forge relationships, complementing and enriching other professions. This has strengthened Singapore’s resilience in areas such as climate change, pandemic preparedness, and aging population.

Together, these 3Rs have served us well. But do they hold any lessons for the future of NUS – and universities at large – in a world fraught with geopolitical fracturing, breakneck digitalisation, and ever more complex problems like climate change?

An interdisciplinary education to remain relevant

Recognising that the world’s most pressing problems cannot be solved by a single discipline, NUS initiated interdisciplinary learning with the Special Programme in Science in 1997, followed by the University Scholars Programme in 2001. 

Scaling this further, we brought the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Science together to establish the College of Humanities and Sciences in 2020. Its common curriculum encourages students to understand the intersections between science, society and technology. This prepares them not only for their first jobs, but for entire careers spanning different sectors and disciplines.

Our formation of the College of Design and Engineering in 2022 further united architects, engineers and designers under one roof. This promotes collaboration on the grand challenges of our time including sustainability, climate resilience and smart cities.

Singapore’s first Honours College, NUS College, took things a step further with its pioneer cohort in 2022. Rooted in two distinctive programmes, the University Scholars Programme and Yale-NUS College, NUS College breaks open the classroom and challenges minds by taking students beyond the confines of campus through its Global and Impact Experience courses.

Transformative learning opportunities to build resilience

Through the iconic NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) programme, students with a knack for entrepreneurship head to global innovation hubs like Silicon Valley, Shanghai and Stockholm and immerse in start-up ecosystems. During the stint, they are challenged to take risks and embrace innovation where these experiences help to stir up in them the entrepreneurial spirit. NOC alumni have since gone on to found start-ups including unicorns like Patsnap and Carousell, contribute to venture capital and reshape industries.

Closer to home, the Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative focuses on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It brings closer to home real issues and challenges faced by Southeast Asian communities. In turn, this fosters a greater appreciation and understanding of the diverse cultures, histories and complexities in the region. 

Together, these programmes build the national resilience of our next generation through their experiences, network and relationships.

A complete university experience to forge relationships

Since 2021, NUS has embarked on a narrative to prioritise student life, elevating it as an indispensable part of education that enriches the university experience of our students. 

NUSOne, introduced in 2024, builds on this effort to deliver a holistic university education by integrating formal curricula with out-of-classroom learning experiences. Residential programmes, sports, arts, community and entrepreneurial activities now form the tapestry of student life, buttressed by physical and mental wellness initiatives. 

Coupled with rigorous academic training, NUSOne paves the way for students to develop meaningful life skills, form networks and navigate relationships. Beyond degrees, these are ingredients necessary for personal development and professional success.

How can the 3Rs take us further?

To maintain relevance, we must get ahead of the AI curve, not just in learning but more critically in teaching. Courses need to cultivate thinking that precedes data, bringing forth judgment, intuition and ethical reasoning with a focus on being human. In a world of “vending-machine” medicine, telesurgery, and AI-generated innovations, it is our humanity that will remain irreplaceable.

At the same time, to empower learners and prepare them for an AI-driven workplace, NUS is investing heavily in an AI-enabled education. In addition to data literacy and digital literacy courses required of all undergraduates, discipline-specific AI tools have been introduced into specialisations and majors. Our aim is to have more than 50% of courses adopt AI or related technology in their pedagogy or content by 2030. 

To build resilience, we must reconnect with purpose. This comes from our intrinsic desire to impart value to others. One way is to help our faculty and staff find meaning in their work. This also means making a difference to our learners. This shared purpose is what brings us together and builds a resilient community.

In turn, a university that embodies resilience helps learners stay ahead in the employment market. Today, workers experience career lifecycles of 45 to 50 years and make switches across roles and industries more frequently. To cope with this, universities need to shift gears from being institutes of higher learning to institutes of continuous learning. The NUS Lifelong Learners programme currently serves thousands of working adults by helping them reskill and upskill in fields like fintech, digital marketing, health tech and more. 

Strengthening an adult learner’s employability resilience is as much an individual’s as a university’s responsibility. Recognising this will ensure universities develop their continuous education and training models with urgency and purpose.

To strengthen relationships, we must first acknowledge how interconnected the world is and the fragility of global ties. Amidst geopolitical tensions, NUS continues to build strong relationships with global partners. Within our community of faculty, staff, students and alumni, we bridge generations through mentorship and work across disciplines to solve real-world problems. 

By leveraging research and entrepreneurial capabilities, the time is more crucial now than before for universities to seek out trusted global partners, deepen thought leadership, and collaborate to translate ideas into real-world impact sustainably. 

In a multipolar world of competing interests, it may be opportune for Singapore to position itself as a leading destination for research-driven ventures. This will cement our international status as a global nexus of ideas, innovation and influence.

The next 120 years

Looking towards the next 120 years, NUS remains guided by a singular vision: to be a university that secures and shapes the future by nurturing the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers and creators. 

As we look back, we are reminded we could only come this far because of our people. The same is true, going forward. Our faculty and staff will shape not just minds, but hearts and futures. Students will bridge data with wisdom and technology with humanity. They are the engines that will take us into the future. Alumni will inspire a spirit of innovative excellence and embody a heart for humanity wherever they go. Together, we will push the boundaries of knowledge and remain guided by the purpose of service that was instilled by our founders.  

Here’s to the next 120 years of impact. The journey continues.

Professor Tan Eng Chye is President of the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Dr Chen Zhi Xiong is Assistant Dean (Education) at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and an Associate Professor in its Department of Physiology.

This commentary is adapted from a speech delivered by Professor Tan Eng Chye at the NUS120 Department of Physiology Education Conference on 3 July 2025.