National University of Singapore
From Freepedia
| National University of Singapore | |
| Image:NUS logo.jpg | |
| Vision | Towards a Global Knowledge Enterprise |
| Established | 1905 |
| Type | Public |
| Chancellor | President S R Nathan |
| President | Professor Shih Choon Fong |
| Deputy President & Provost | Professor Tan Chorh Chuan |
| Location | Singapore, Kent Ridge |
| Students | 31,346 total (8,595 Graduate) |
| Faculty and Staff | 6,655 total (2,078 Faculty) |
| Address | 10 Kent Ridge Crescent |
| Homepage | http://www.nus.edu.sg |
The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS; Chinese: 新加坡国立大学; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Guólì Dàxué; Abbreviated 国大; Malay: Universiti Nasional Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய பல்கலைக்) is Singapore's oldest university, and remains the largest in the country in terms of student enrolment and curriculum offered.
In 2000, NUS was ranked as the 5th best multidisciplinary universities in Asia by AsiaWeek magazine (now defunct). In late 2004, NUS was rated 18th in The Times Higher Education Supplement's inaugural global ranking of universities, one of only 3 Asian universities (the other two being the University of Tokyo and Peking University) to be rated among the top 20 [1]. In 2005, it slipped 4 places to 22nd position, although still retaining its position as the third highest ranked Asian university, when the ranking criteria was amended to include employers' review (which NUS did not do well in), and reduce the weightage for peer review (which NUS did well).
In another ranking, Academic Ranking of World Universities conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, NUS is ranked between the top 101st to 152nd universities of the world [2]. Its reputation abroad has helped attract students from around the world, with international students making up 27% of the total student population in 2004.
The university attempts to internationalize itself by building a global network through overseas colleges, teaching and research partnerships with other institutions, supporting international student exchange programmes, and the establishment of alumni associations around the world. NUS is the chairmember and secretariat of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, a founding member of Universitas 21, and is a member of the ASEAN University Network, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning, and LAOTSE, an international network of universities in Europe and Asia.
The university's Kent Ridge campus is located in the southwest of the Republic of Singapore at Kent Ridge, bounded by the Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE), Clementi Road, Buona Vista Road and Kent Ridge Park, with an area of approximately 1.5 square kilometres. In 2005, it won the rights to operate in the Bukit Timah campus and plans to move its law school there by 2006.
NUS celebrates its 100th birthday in 2005. In celebration of this milestone, the university has been holding a year long centennial anniversary programme beginning 25 June 2005.
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History
The university traces its origins to the founding of The Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School in 1905, a realization of a dream by the city's founder, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, way back in 1823. Its name was changed to King Edward VII Medical School in 1912 and to King Edward VII College of Medicine in 1921.
In 1929, Raffles College was established to promote Arts and Social Sciences at tertiary level for Singapore students, and exactly two decades later, was merged with King Edward VII College of Medicine to form the University of Malaya.
In 1959, the University of Malaya was redivided into two divisions, University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and University of Malaya in Singapore. The latter division finally split to form the University of Singapore in 1962.
The present institution was formed with the merger of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University in 1980.
Faculties and schools
NUS has 14 faculties and schools, spread across the widest range of disciplines compared to any other Singapore educational institution.
- Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
- NUS Business School
- School of Computing
- Faculty of Dentistry
- School of Design and Environment
- Faculty of Engineering
- NUS Faculty of Law
- Faculty of Medicine
- Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
- Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
- Faculty of Science
- University Scholars Programme
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering
- NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
People
NUS is the largest university in Singapore in terms of student enrolment. As of 30 September 2004, the total student population stands at 31,346, of which 22,751 are undergraduate students and 8,595 graduate students. Amongst graduate students, 4,112 are on coursework studies, while 4,483 are on research.
Students enrolled in NUS come from diverse backgrounds, with 8,600 international students from 77 countries studying in the university in 2004. It also hosted 730 international exchange students in the academic year of 2003-2004, and sent 540 of its own students abroad. In the same year, 95 of its students are hosted in four NUS Overseas Colleges in Silicon Valley, Bio Valley (in Philadelphia), Stockholm and Shanghai.
Student enrolment
Staff
NUS employed 6,655 staff members as of October 2004, of which 2,078 are faculty members, 1,153 are research staff, 870 administrative and professional staff, and the remaining 2,554 general staff. Amongst faculty members, academics from the ASEAN region, Australia, the People's Republic of China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States dominate the sizeable pool of international staff members, although they are not evenly distributed across the university's faculties and schools.
Campus
NUS's Kent Ridge campus has 6 libraries and 35 lecture theatres. 6 halls of residences and 3 student residences offer a total of over 6,000 students accommodation in campus. In addition, 4 museums, full facilities for the performing arts, sports and recreational facilities, and a satellite imagery receiving station are sited in the sprawling campus spread over a hilly terrain, with wireless internet access available campus-wide.
Libraries
- C J Koh Law Library [3]
- Central Library [4]
- Chinese Library 中文图书馆 [5]
- Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library [6]
- Medical Library [7]
- Science Library [8]
Museums
- Lee Kong Chian Art Museum
- Ng Eng Teng Gallery
- South and Southeast Asian Gallery (National University of Singapore)
- Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research
Accommodation
Halls of residence
- Eusoff Hall [9]
- Kent Ridge Hall [10]
- King Edward VII Hall [11]
- Raffles Hall [12]
- Sheares Hall [13]
- Temasek Hall [14]
Student residences
Off-campus
See also
- Nanyang Technological University
- Singapore Management University
- List of universities in Singapore
- National University Hospital
External links
- University Web site
- Official timeline
- Centennial Celebrations
- NUS Student Union
- NUS Entrepreneurship Society
- NUS Mac Users Group
- NUS Linux Users Group
| The Universitas 21 network of universities | Image:Universitas 21 logo.png |
|---|---|
|
Australia: University of Melbourne | University of New South Wales | University of Queensland | Canada: University of British Columbia | McGill University | China: Fudan University | Peking University | University of Hong Kong | New Zealand: University of Auckland | Singapore: National University of Singapore | South Korea: Korea University | Sweden: Lund University | United Kingdom: University of Birmingham | University of Edinburgh | University of Glasgow | University of Nottingham | USA: University of Virginia | |
