The first privately managed university in Singapore, specialising in business and finance. Opened on 29 July 2000, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is the third University in Singapore, after the National University of Singapore (1980) and Nanyang Technological University (1991). Partnered with the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, for curriculum design, faculty development and research, SMU's inaugural president is Professor Janice Bellace, deputy dean of Wharton School.
The University has a broad-based curriculum comprising business and management education with the liberal arts and sciences, with emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovative learning.The Bachelor of Business Management (BBM) is offered in the inaugural year, with a current enrolment of 318 students. The Wharton-SMU Research Center, set up in Singapore, will provide research focussed on Asia, in the areas of technological innovation, entrepreneurship, technology management and E-commerce.
The main campus of the University is currently located at Evans Road, Bukit Timah, while plans are being made for its proposed S$1million city campus at Bras Basah. Located in the heart of the historic district, the campus will span eight sites with a gross area of 238,000 sq m and a target student population of 15,000.
Author
Eunice Low
References
City campus for 3rd Singapore University. (1998, 20 January). The Business Times, p. 2.
SMU opens to big fanfare. (2000, July 30). The Straits Times, p. 37.
SMU unveils masterplan for its S$1b campus in the city. ( 2000, April 1). The Business Times, p. 10.
Singapore Management University. (2004). Retrieved October 6, 2003, from www.smu.edu.sg
Wharton School (2004). Retrieved October 6, 2003, from www.wharton.upenn.edu/
The information in this article is valid as at 2001 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
