SMU celebrated its sixth birthday at Patron’s Day 2006. Held for the first time at the new SMU campus in Bras Basah on 13 February, the celebration was graced by His Excellency, President S R Nathan who is Patron of SMU. It was President Nathan’s first visit to the new SMU campus – which is now conveniently located just around the corner from the Istana.

An annual event, Patron’s Day is an occasion for SMU to commemorate its founding as a university, and to bring together the Board of Trustees, management, faculty, staff and students to interact on a social basis and to reflect on a year of remarkable milestone achievements. In January this year, the University marked its official opening of the new city campus. The move to the heart of the city represented the most significant development of the year and was in itself a reason to party.

Patron’s Day in particular, however, is an occasion to celebrate student accomplishments. President Nathan presented the SMU University Student Life Awards to honour outstanding students who have achieved both academic excellence and exceptional performance in various CCA categories, contributing to the vibrant multi-dimensional student life at SMU.

In keeping with the SMU community’s irrepressible joie de vivre, the campus reverberated with a boisterous and celebratory mood as students, staff and faculty alike revelled in an afternoon of non-stop games, activities, dance and martial art performances, all set in a bazaar and carnival-like atmosphere, and rounded off with a rousing rock concert on the Campus Green.