It is exciting to be part of an iconic development in Asia that is SMU – a young emerging university that prides itself on being cutting edge and different. SMU shares many similarities with leading American and global universities in educational pedagogy and grooming of young minds. It is a convergence of many talents – a top quality faculty pool and passionate students eager to embrace new challenges.

At the heart of SMU's emergence as a leading global learning centre are research institutes and centres of excellence. These centres focus not only on business, financial and economic growth but also on social innovation and entrepreneurship. They serve as the nexus of academic and business thinking will provide a platform for SMU to engage with the external community, to enhance the relevance of our research and to accelerate knowledge utilisation. Collectively, these centres are pushing the frontier on new ideas. They are not only bringing thought leaders to Singapore but are also taking Singapore to the world by hosting leading scholars and business leaders in global conferences and development workshops.

Knowledge generated in collaboration with global leaders in both academia and business is reflected in our academic programmes that are designed to challenge bright young minds. These programmes are designed so our students focus on challenging the status quo to move from best practices to next practices. In today's knowledge-driven and fast changing business world and global economy, knowing what to do and how to do it is not enough. Those who know “what to do” often end up by working for those who understand why we need to do things differently.

Drawing on its strengths, SMU is able to continue to attract the best and most diverse student groups. Already our undergraduate programmes have made mark in Singapore and the region. Our undergraduates are in high demand and command a premium. We will continue to improve and grow these programmes. As we attend to graduate programmes of distinction face additional hurdles in our pursuit of academic talent — world-class faculty and high-calibre students. Here we must compete with the world's leading institutions.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to develop and shape research and academic programmes and in ensuring that SMU becomes the university of choice in the region and beyond.

Professor Rajendra K. Srivastava
Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs)
Singapore Management University