Giving to SoC

NUS School of Computing (SoC) has a fine track record in grooming leaders for the digital economy. Since its early days as the only university department in Singapore that produced computing talent for the economy, the School has blazed a trail of distinguished alumni, including the chief executives and technology architects of multinationals and government agencies.

To continue with its mission in grooming IT leaders and professionals for Singapore’s increasingly sophisticated digital economy, we need support from our alumni and the business community. This is especially so following the corporatisation of the University, which essentially puts all faculties on the path toward self-sufficiency.

In the immediate and medium term, we need to set up and maintain a discretionary fund, from which the Dean and the School Management may use to fund various student-oriented initiatives, such as sending well-deserving undergraduate and graduate students on overseas exposure trips and attachments.

For undergraduates, there are existing mechanisms at the University level to provide students with overseas exposure such as the NUS Overseas Colleges programme and the Student Exchange Programme. However, their coverage may not extend to the masses of students in the broad middle band, whom we cannot afford to overlook as they will be the mainstay of Singapore’s future computing expertise.

For graduate students, participation in top academic conferences in the fields of their chosen specialisations is more than desirable exposure. Indeed, having their research findings presented and scrutinised at international conferences should be part of the students’ learning experience. Currently, their participation is contingent on the availability of limited funds for student travel and conference participation.

The above are just two purposes into which money from the discretionary fund, formally known as the NUS School of Computing Dean’s Fund, will be directed. We are identifying more of such worthy schemes, but they can only be launched with generous donations from individuals and corporations.

Donations may be one-off or recurring, and there is no fixed quantum for the gift.