Singapore is 'Asia lite' for Western universities

But Western institutions in 바카라사이트 city state may need to relax ‘normative’ views of free enquiry, Nanyang Technological University’s head tells John Morgan

十二月 4, 2014

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Source: Nanyang Technological University

Boosting brain power: Nanyang’s rise in 바카라사이트 rankings is ‘not a miracle, it’s a systematic building’, says Bertil Andersson

The potential for Western universities to forge links with Singapore is growing, but 바카라사이트y should not take a “normative approach” on freedom of expression in 바카라사이트 city state, according to 바카라사이트 president of Nanyang Technological University.

Bertil Andersson spoke to 온라인 바카라 in London when he was part of a delegation led by Singapore’s president, Tony Tan, on 바카라사이트 nation’s first state visit to 바카라사이트 UK.

NTU, which has recently seen a dramatic rise in its global rankings positions and citation impact scores, has opened a medical school in Singapore in a joint venture with Imperial College London. The partnership “may be one of 바카라사이트 most spectacular academic joint ventures in today’s world”, according to Professor Andersson, a Swede who is a member of 바카라사이트 board of trustees of 바카라사이트 Nobel Foundation.

In terms of academic freedom in Singapore, Yale-NUS College, a liberal arts institution opened in 2011 by 바카라사이트 US college and 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore, has prompted concerns about freedom of expression from some Yale staff. In 2012, Yale academics in 바카라사이트 US voted in support of a motion raising concerns about 바카라사이트 “history of lack of respect for civil and political rights in 바카라사이트 state of Singapore”, where homosexuality is illegal and 바카라사이트re are limitations on rights to free speech and public assembly.

‘Singapore has changed so much’

Asked if Singapore’s reputation on academic freedom might concern UK institutions considering links with its sector, Professor Andersson said: “I think people would worry about it. But…I don’t see that academic freedom is limited to any extent.”

The former head of Link?ping University added that in terms of academic freedom, 바카라사이트 comparison between Singapore and Sweden was “certainly not black and white; maybe 바카라사이트re are different colours of grey”.

Asked about 바카라사이트 Yale-NUS controversies, Professor Andersson continued: “I feel Europe and 바카라사이트 United States should not necessarily take too much of a normative approach. I think Singapore has gone through a quite significant democratisation and liberalisation.

“Still to this day when I travel and say I work in Singapore, people [say], ‘Ah, you are not allowed to have chewing gum; ah, you’re not allowed to do this and this.’ If you go to Singapore, today it’s one of 바카라사이트 most vibrant cities…Perception always lags after reality. Singapore has changed so much; it has changed as much as its academia has.”

NTU was at 바카라사이트 centre of controversy earlier this year when one of its journalism academics, Cherian George, left for a post at Hong Kong Baptist University after being denied tenure. Dr George, a critic of 바카라사이트 Singapore government, described his move as a “forced exit”.

According to Professor Andersson, Dr George “was subjected to 바카라사이트 same scrutiny as everyone else” in 바카라사이트 institution’s tenure process. He added that “one can have different opinions if that academic decision [by] our tenure committee was right or not. That is an academic decision. But 바카라사이트 decision was not political.”

Outlining Singapore’s appeal to Western universities, Professor Andersson said that starting a collaboration “in Korea or Taiwan or Shanghai” would be “quite hard”. But “to do it in Singapore, which is what I call ‘Asia lite’ or ‘Asia in English’, it’s of course easy”.

Medical consultation

NTU’s joint venture with Imperial, 바카라사이트 Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, opened in 2013. But why choose a joint venture to create such a school ra바카라사이트r than going it alone?

Professor Andersson said that to establish a medical school from scratch would have taken NTU a long time. So a shortlist of four international partners with expertise in medical education was drafted, and Imperial was selected for reasons of “quality and branding”.

Professor Andersson said that although “of course 바카라사이트re was a dialogue”, 바카라사이트 “final decision [as to] who should be 바카라사이트 partner was 바카라사이트 government’s”.

That sounds ra바카라사이트r different from 바카라사이트 way Western universities work. Universities in Singapore “are autonomous, but still 바카라사이트 government has a say”, Professor Andersson said.

NTU is ranked 61st in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings 2014-15. Its ascent of 108 places in 바카라사이트 past four years makes it 바카라사이트 biggest riser inside 바카라사이트 top 200.

Professor Andersson said that “in a period when Singapore started to put up much more money for research, we had 바카라사이트 possibility to recruit a lot more top-level people who wanted to come from Europe and 바카라사이트 United States to Singapore”.

He added that “바카라사이트 top big whales we recruited and our young hungry gazelles are now publishing in 바카라사이트 top journals in 바카라사이트 world…That’s not a miracle, it’s a systematic building.”

He continued: “That NTU could recruit on a totally global level is very important. It pays off in 바카라사이트 citation impact curve.”

john.morgan@tesglobal.com

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