[12 April 2005]
Response by SMU to the Government’s acceptance of the UAGF recommendations

The Singapore Management University (SMU) welcomes the devolving of greater autonomy to our three publicly-funded universities. SMU, which was set up at inception as a private university, has witnessed many tangible benefits of being an autonomous university. It has allowed us to develop our unique institutional character and differentiate ourselves in an increasingly competitive university landscape, especially with competing foreign universities.

Autonomy has shifted ownership of the university from Government to stakeholders, infusing a deeper sense of belonging among SMU's Board of Trustees, university body and students, as well as our alumni.

Greater financial autonomy allows us to be more flexible, responsive, and entrepreneurial in responding to market demands and in recruiting top of the line faculty from Singapore and overseas who can present a broad-based multi-disciplinary pedagogy that produces well-rounded graduates. SMU is free to choose how best to deploy its resources to build a top quality teaching and research institution.

Being a private university has made it imperative that SMU seek alternative sources of funding from donors and the industry even though the Government remains the principal source of funding. By enlarging our pool of stakeholders, SMU is cultivating partners who are supporters and believers in SMU and in higher education more generally.

In return for greater autonomy, SMU acknowledges the need for a more robust accountability framework to assure the public that Government funding is well-utilised and properly directed toward the achievement of national objectives.

Professor Howard Hunter
President, Singapore Management University