Over a 12-year period from June 2013 to May 2025, nine cohorts of students—known as the Kingfishers—undertook the Yale-NUS educational journey. For many, this was a life-changing experience, one that inspired them to pursue new goals, enabled them to achieve undreamt-of successes or encouraged them to contribute to their community and the wider world.
Yale-NUS was where students received a truly world-class education. Over 1700 students graduated from the College, with many of them going on to lead successful and impactful lives, rising to challenges and becoming leaders, whether in the world of employment, further education or working to build a better society.
What was Yale-NUS? The College offered an education like no other, it was a place where students could learn, grow and prepare for their future lives.
Although there was no such thing as a typical or ideal Yale-NUS student, there were some common traits that could be identified. Here, members of the College community describe some of their impressions of Yale-NUS students.
Following the announcement of the closure of the College in August 2021, a series of Legacy projects were initiated to preserve the history and celebrate the achievements of Yale-NUS.
The whole community became involved, with students, alumni, faculty and staff contributing their stories and memories as well as photographs, videos and other materials. Many also gave their time, joining committees to guide and advise the project teams.
The projects included a digital archive, oral history project and this website featuring a series of stories about the College, a virtual tour of the campus and a timeline of major events. Other major undertakings included a permanent exhibition, commemorative book and sculpture, all completed in the College’s final three years.
— Joanne Roberts, Executive Vice-President of Academic Affairs, and the final President of Yale-NUS.
The College commissioned a sculpture to be permanently positioned on the Campus Green slope overlooking the Biofiltration Pond (commonly known as the Eco-pond).
A number of designs were proposed, and after careful consideration a design entitled Mater by Singapore-based artist Grace Tan was selected.
Grace describes the sculpture as follows: “The sculpture symbolises many things: a portal or a conduit to knowledge and the past, a frame that captures a memory, a symbol of commitment and holding things in place, a seed pod. The cube contains an illusory square, a two-dimensional construct, which represents knowledge and persists beyond the tangible earthly matter. Over time, the metal cube will be enveloped by a patina, turning from bright ochre to a burnt sienna, naturalising an otherwise industrial material.”
The sculpture was officially launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 11 August 2024.
This permanent exhibition was mounted along a corridor near to the Yale-NUS College Hall (formerly the Performance Hall) to remind future visitors to the campus that it was once the home of Yale-NUS.
The exhibition consists of six panels, each describing a different aspect of the College through text, photographs and graphics. At the far end, the Founding Benefactors Wall lists the names of the individuals, families and organisations that generously provided donations to help with the establishment of the College.
Mounted alongside the wall are the College’s Ceremonial Mace, a painting by NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan and a sculpture of Nathan Hale. The painting and sculpture were presented to the College by NUS and Yale respectively at the inauguration of the campus in 2015.
The exhibition was curated by College staff with input from Linda Lorimer (Yale Vice President (1994–2013), Senior Advisor to the President (2013–16) and Yale-NUS Governing Board member throughout the history of the College). American firm Spagnola & Associates designed the exhibition, under the personal direction of the firm’s Principal Tony Spagnola. Based in New Haven, the firm has worked extensively with Yale University who also provided funding for the exhibition.
May Lee (Class of 2025) expressed her feelings about the College in a poem.
To My Alma Mater
The unchanging seasons feel like a pause in time.
Motivated by the momentum and flow,
Sustained youth, and never-ending growth,
I fear not to dare.
Inspired, instilled, I roam the less frequented,
We traverse back in time, the past, revisited.
We muse and imagine, mindfully,
Bringing forth what could be and what ought to be.
The days and nights blur into one,
Would this be yours, or could that be mine?
The time I borrowed is a favor returned,
A friendship is born, and life is adorned.
Saga seeds, Cendana leaves, Elm-mighty trees,
Here is a story about you and me.
A special place to be, a legacy lived vicariously,
I became the person I wanted to be:
You taught me
Not to be afraid, to
Challenge, and to be brave.
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