This is an informal sharing session for students interested in pursuing the NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme (DDP). Current Year 4 DDP students will share their experiences and Year 1 students can ask questions and gain a better understanding of the programme before making any plans. To register, please email your name and year of study to Noel at noelyeong@nus.edu.sg. (Note: We will only hold the session if we receive student sign-ups.)

This is a student-initiated outreach event under the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme (CTPCLP) aimed at promoting healthy dating relationships amongst students and raising awareness against Dating Violence. This event will provide educational materials, and include fun activities and games.  CTPCLP is based in and supported by USP.

Two USP students will travel to Tufts University to participate in the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) International Symposium hosted by the Institute for Global Leadership. The theme for this year’s symposium is “The Future of Europe” and students will present an issue related to their home country and the future of Europe, attend panel discussions and topical forums and participate in informal gatherings and workshops.

Two USP students will travel to Tempe, Arizona to attend the “Desert Nights, Rising Stars” Writers Conference hosted by the Virginia G. Piper Centre for Creative Writing at Arizona State University (ASU). The conference provides an opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and share an appreciation for literature and writing.

The University Scholars Club (USC) cordially invites the USP community to join the Lo Hei session. Let’s usher in the Year of the Monkey by tossing Yusheng in the Dining Hall.

Ten USP students will travel to Princeton University to participate in the Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation (PICSim) Conference. Founded in 2006, PICSim delivers what has been hailed as the most realistic collegiate crisis simulation in the US. Under the theme “Crisis in Latin America”, PICSim 2016 will focus on the regional conflict in Latin America.

USP alums from the various cohorts will get together at this event to reconnect and get USP updates. Jointly organised by the USP Alumni Society and USP, the event will also include participation by USP student leaders, class ambassadors, faculty members and admin staff.

Eight USP students, together with three students from the Department of Malay Studies, will travel to Tehran to explore various aspects of Iranian civilisation. Led by Associate Professor Farid Alatas, the students will be hosted by the Faculty of World Studies at the University of Tehran and will attend lectures by Iranian experts and visit universities, research centres, museums and other cultural sites.

NUS President Professor Tan Chorh Chuan and Sciences Po President Mr Frédéric Mion will sign an Agreement to cement the two university’s partnership on a new Double Degree Programme (DDP). President Mion, the Sciences Po delegation and USP Directors will attend a lunch hosted by NUS Vice President Professor Andrew Wee, before attending the signing ceremony at University Hall. Further information on the DDP is available at http://usp.nus.edu.sg/nus-sciencespo/. 

The new concept of USP Mentoring Programme has evolved after integrating our Rector’s idea of life purpose mentoring with career mentoring. The programme goes beyond career mentoring and a new idea of competencies is also added to the programme. The USP alumni mentors will guide the USP student mentees to discover their careers which are aligned with their life purpose, passion and competencies. 

This year, the USP booth will be located at the Chua Thian Poh Hall (and not the Stephen Riady Centre like in previous years) and USP talks will be conducted at the nearby UTown Auditorium 3 at 11.00am, 1.00pm, 2.00pm and 4.00pm. USP professors will be giving sample classes at 12.15pm, 2.15pm, 3.15pm, and 5.15pm at USP Seminar Room 1. In all, there will be planned activities happening throughout the day at USP. Let’s welcome visitors enthusiastically, and for USP students, do invite/encourage your juniors to visit us!

The Rector’s Programme (TRP) is a series of personal and professional development talks and networking sessions, which aims at developing USP students’ intellectual aspirations, career directions and social responsibility beyond the University. Through TRP, students will hopefully be encouraged and empowered to lead a purpose-driven, meaningful and impactful life, both in the workplace and in the community at large. Guest speakers from the corporate, non-profit and public sectors will come and share the challenges they face and how they navigate the fast-changing complex world. In this second session of 2016, we have invited Mr Hsieh Fu Hua, Chairman of United Overseas Bank Limited and Tiger Airways Holdings and Director of GIC. We urge USP students to join in this conversation with him. Interested students, please register your attendance here. 

This film screening is organised by NUS Museum in conjunction with the exhibition Vietnam 1954-1975: War Drawings and Posters from the Ambassador Dato’ N. Parameswaran Collection. The exhibition is ongoing till 29 May 2016 at NUS Museum. There will be additional commentary by USP teaching faculty Prof John Richardson after the film screening. Interested students, please register your attendance here.

The CTPCLP holds its symposium annually to provide a platform for its fellows to present and share the knowledge and experiences they have gained from their social research and/or community development projects. At the same time, the symposium hopes to reach out to and inspire more NUS students to take on the responsibility to address social issues in Singapore. The CTPCLP fellows, some of whom are also USP students, will discuss the field research projects they have undertaken with various social service organisations and thereafter, Guest-of-Honour Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung will join in for a dialogue session. We urge USP students to join in this conversation with him. Interested students may register attendance here. CTPCLP is based in and supported by USP.

Conversations@8 is a series of informal gatherings where alumni, students, staff and faculty may reconnect, meet new friends and share experiences. 

Organised by the USP Alumni Society, ChatterboxPro aims to bring back the long hours of chatting about anything and everything at Chatterbox. With this session, the ChatterboxPro team is trying out a new format for 2016: "X & Y in Conversation" where a pair of USP alumni will be invited as speakers for each session. For this session, Shafiqah Nadiah Song (English Literature + USP, Class of 2010) and Kelly Tay (English Literature + USP, Class of 2011) will be sharing the stage. Details and ticketing information can be found here. 

Ten USP students are participating in this year’s Builders Connect Learning Programme. The students will work with two NGOs in the Philippines to gain a deeper and more critical understanding of what causes poverty, its complex and multifaceted nature, and what students can do about it.

Eight USP students and one Tembusu student will travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand under this programme led by A/P Peter Vail. The field-based study programme is organised in collaboration with Chiang Mai University’s Regional Center for Social Sciences and Sustainable Development (RCSD).

USP will host students from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia. The students will take part in a community development and social entrepreneurship study trip planned by A/P Albert Teo. The visit is the reciprocal component of the Forgotten Communities Study Programme held in Malaysia last December.

USP students and students from the Yale Student Southeast Asian Movement (SEAM) at Yale University will be organising the inaugural SEAMconference on “Constructing the ASEAN Identity”. This Conference will bring together 100 youths from pre-universities in Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines to discuss pertinent issues regarding education, social inequality and the arts in Southeast Asia, as well as explore how youths can play a part in shaping the future of ASEAN. Ambassador Nina Hachigian, Ambassador of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, is the Guest-of-Honour for the Conference Opening on 27 May, and will deliver the opening address. Professor Wang Gungwu, Chairman of both the East Asian Institute and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS, and Chairman of the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute; as well as Ms Ng Yeen Seen, Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, Malaysia, will also deliver keynote speeches at the Conference Opening. Mr Baey Yam Keng, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth will give the Closing Remarks on 30 May. For more info, www.southeastasianmovement.org/seamconference/.

Eight USP students, together with NUS and Sciences Po students, will participate in a two-week undergraduate intensive non-credited seminar led by Dr Mark Brantner. Under the theme “Rhetorics of Food”, the programme will introduce students to methods of rhetorical analysis and production developed in and appropriate to Asian, European and American contexts. Students study for one week in Singapore and one week in Reims, France.

Five USP students, two FASS students and one Law student will participate in the NUS-in-Yale Summer Programme. Students will read two modules and experience various aspects of Yale undergraduate life.

To attend the postgraduate talk, kindly register here.

Organised by the University Scholars Club (USC), the 2nd Asian Undergraduate Summit themed “Leadership in a Complex World: Smart Cities, Smart Citizens” officially started a month ago with the foreign legs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. The Singapore Leg will continue the discussion on the complexities of smart cities. The programme incorporates a synergistic skills-based track that guides participants in consolidating their learning and ideas to improve existing smart cities initiatives. Students will participate in a series of workshops on Design Thinking Methodology and work in teams to translate the complex knowledge of smart cities into tangible proposals that aim to improve existing smart cities initiatives. Through this, it is hoped that participants, being future leaders of the world, will develop Design Thinking skills to develop holistic, multidisciplinary approaches and solutions to complex problems.

The USP graduating Class of 2016 will be receiving their scrolls at this evening ceremony. This will be a joint ceremony between the USP and the Faculty of Engineering. The guest speaker for the ceremony will be Ms Euleen Goh, Rector of Cinnamon College (USP).

A USP tradition, we will celebrate the commencement and achievements of the Class of 2016. The theme adopted by the USP Commencement Dinner 2016 Committee is “All That Sparkle”.

Organised by the University Scholars Club (USC), USP Freshmen Orientation Week (OWeek) builds on the friendships developed among the freshmen during USC Camp earlier this month, to further integrate the freshmen into our community as the new AY approaches. The freshmen will be exposed to the wide range of opportunities that USP provides and the diversity of people here in USP. They will, hopefully, be encouraged to get involved, shape, and develop our community.

This annual Welcome Dinner formally welcomes freshmen to USP and our residential college, marking the start of their USP experience. USP faculty members and admin staff are invited to join in this meaningful occasion.

USP will host the Lee Shiu Summer Programme from 25 – 29 Jul. Under the theme "Road to Success in the Modern World”, students on the programme spend two weeks in Hong Kong, one week in Singapore and one week in Beijing. Sponsored by Dr Lee Shiu and Dr Jennie Mui Lee and co-organised by Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Yuanpei College of Peking University and USP, the 2016 programme encourages students to put forward insightful ideas and in-depth discussion in the following five areas: Leadership and Creativity, Globalisation and Cultural Awareness, Civic Society and Public Governance, Environment and Sustainable Development, and Social Responsibilities and Community Service.

The annual NUSSU Rag will be held at NUS University Town this year. There will be dance performances put up by students for the NUS community and general public as an appreciation of their generous donations and support during Flag Day (2 Aug). A Rag & Flag carnival is also held alongside the Rag performances to provide an additional platform to raise funds and awareness of the various beneficiaries involved in NUSSU Rag & Flag. USP students including freshmen are participating and have been working very hard on USP’s RAG item/performance, so do show them our support by heading down that day and cheering them on! The USP RAG is a project under the University Scholars Club (USC). The USP community is invited to a sneak preview of the performance on 3 Aug 2015, 5.00pm, at the Chua Thian Poh Hall. Light refreshments will be provided.

This is USP’s very first Homecoming event, a reunion of the many cohorts of USP alumni, right here at USP! It promises to be an afternoon for USP alumni to meet up with professors and old friends, to reminisce the good old days and to reconnect. More details can be found here.

The Rector’s Programme (TRP) is a series of personal and professional development talks and networking sessions, which aims at developing USP students’ intellectual aspirations, career directions and social responsibility beyond the University. Through TRP, students will hopefully be encouraged and empowered to lead a purpose-driven, meaningful and impactful life, both in the workplace and in the community at large. Guest speakers from the corporate, non-profit and public sectors will come and share the challenges they face and how they navigate the fast-changing complex world. In this session, Ms Euleen Goh, Rector of Cinnamon College, will share what shapes her life’s purpose, her principles and her passion. Do join us!

Due to a crisis at CPS, the talk on Stress, Sleep, and Time Management by CPS counsellor Hema on 22 Aug atthe Masters Commons will be cancelled. Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused and thank you very much for your kind understanding.

Day 1: Short Term Programmes | Wed, 24 Aug, 4.00pm – 5.45pm Day 2: Student Exchange and Special | Thu, 25 Aug, 10.00am – 11.45am The sessions are an opportunity for past participants to share their experiences and for interested students to explore some of the USP International Programmes available in this academic year. Presentations will take place over two days where Day 1 will be dedicated to Short Term Programmes and Day 2 will be dedicated to Student Exchange Programmes and Special Programmes (Joint Degree/Double Degree Programmes).

Day 1: Short Term Programmes | Wed, 24 Aug, 4.00pm – 5.45pm Day 2: Student Exchange and Special | Thu, 25 Aug, 10.00am – 11.45am The sessions are an opportunity for past participants to share their experiences and for interested students to explore some of the USP International Programmes available in this academic year. Presentations will take place over two days where Day 1 will be dedicated to Short Term Programmes and Day 2will be dedicated to Student Exchange Programmes and Special Programmes (Joint Degree/Double Degree Programmes).

First organized in 2013, We Will Dance is Singapore’s first 10-hour charity dance marathon. Besides the USP Student Assistance Fund, We Will Dance 2016 is looking to support institutions involved in educational-related causes, namely - Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), Autism Association (Singapore) and SPD (formerly Society for the Physically Disabled). Expect exciting performances choreographies with genres of Kpop, Hip Hop, Jazz, Bollywood and more. Stay tuned to WWD Facebook page and Instagram for the latest updates!

In this session, USP alum Pamela Cheong (English Literature + USP, Class of 2006) and Prof Peter Maria Krakauer will share with the USP community the cultural and social relevance of music. Prof Krakauer will also talk about improvisation and demonstrate the piano in different musical styles. 

Conversations@8 is a series of informal gatherings where alumni, students, staff and faculty may reconnect, meet new friends and share experiences.

How Democracies Fail At the end of the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama said that we had reached the end of history. He also said that all societies would become liberal democracies. By doing so, he also suggested that achieving democracy meant achieving nirvana in the political sphere. Yet, 20 years later, we now know that many democracies are failing, both in the developed and developing worlds. This talk will try to understand why this is happening and look in particular at three case studies, Thailand, UK and USA.

USP alum Yvonne Lim (Economics + USP, Class of 2013) completed the NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme and is now pursuing a career in consulting in Tokyo. Yvonne will share her experiences at Waseda University which opened up her current career opportunities in Japan. Yvonne will be joined by students from various leading universities in Japan who will provide tips and insights into Japanese university life, in and out of lectures and tutorials. The sharing session is particularly useful for students interested in: (1)  The NUS-Waseda Double Degree Programme (2)  Student Exchange Programmes to Japan through your Home Faculty (3)  Graduate programmes in Japan (4)  Internships and working in Japan

USP organises a series of “Dinner Conversations” — informal sessions aimed at encouraging USP students to explore new horizons of work by having them interact with USP Fellows over dinner. USP Fellows are specially appointed faculty members from various faculties, schools, and disciplines across NUS, who are committed to scholarship and mentoring students. To start this off for AY16/17, we have invited the USP Fellows to come meet with USP students at the USP Fellows’ Welcome Tea.