Development and Donors

Deep Dive

Scholarships and Study Awards

Building Global Connections

Jane Binks

Senior Director of Development (2020–2023)

No matter where someone comes from, education is transformative. A world class education ripples from the individual to the family, to the community, to the city, the nation, and the world.

The College has included students from over 70 different nationalities. It is an extraordinary multiplier effect. With over 40% of students coming from overseas, living and learning together for four years with their Singaporean counterparts, the relationships, and networks they developed will last lifetimes, as will their connection to Singapore.

Prioritising Financial Aid

Professor Pericles Lewis

Inaugural President of Yale-NUS

We are committed to providing financial support to students either through scholarships that recognise academic excellence, or through study awards that cater to needy students. Financial aid therefore remains a key fundraising priority here at Yale-NUS.

Decision Science Agency Study Award

Mr Collin Ang, Managing Director of digital marketing consulting group Decision Science Agency, set up the need-based Decision Science Agency Study Award in 2018.

Michelle Tan (Class of 2021) describes the impact of the award on her time at the College: “This study award has been instrumental to my involvement with various facets of college life. Without having to worry about finances, I could spend time being fully engaged with campus life.”

Michelle was able to join organisations such as the Society of Yale-NUS College Dancers (SYNCD) and the peer-counselling group, P.S. We Care, as well as guiding first-year students as a Residential College Advisor.

Kewalram Chanrai Scholarship

Established in 2015 with a generous gift from the Kewalram Chanrai Group, the Kewalram Chanrai Scholarship prioritised female applicants in a bid to empower and inspire female undergraduates to be future leaders and entrepreneurs.

One of the first recipients of the scholarship was Alexia Davidson (Class of 2019) from Jamaica. She commented that “Being in Yale-NUS, I have been presented with so many opportunities, which is significant for me as there aren’t as many opportunities where I come from, especially for females.”

At the College, Alexia was able to join the experimental theatre group Arts Lab which presented the stories of disadvantaged women and minorities. She was also one of the pioneering female students in YNC Hacks, the student computer science and hackathon group.

Yale-NUS Alumni—Seah & Siak Study Award

The Yale-NUS Alumni—Seah & Siak Study Award was established by Mr Seah Cheng San and his wife Ms Chong Siak Ching (both NUS graduates) to assist students who required financial aid.

Recipient Terence Choo (Class of 2021) felt the award motivated him to work hard at his studies, “There have been times when everything gets overwhelming, but I am constantly reminded of my privilege of having the opportunity to pursue what I am interested in without having to worry too much about the finances.”

The award allowed Terence to pursue his passion for education, including planning and conducting classes for primary school children as a member of student group KidsAccomplish!.

About the award’s donors, he declared “They have helped me advance closer to my goals, and I cannot thank (them) enough for playing a huge role in my college experience.”

Community Giving

Many donors came from within the Yale-NUS community itself, with students, alumni, faculty and staff giving generously to the College.

One of the defining characteristics of the College was its close community.

Jane Binks describes how the first graduating class established the Senior Class Gift Campaign.

The Senior Class Gift Campaign

Jane Binks

Senior Director of Development (2020–2023)

From its inception, one of the defining characteristics of the College was its close community. As a fully residential college, the campus was home for four years for our students, lending an extraordinary vibrancy to the learning and living experience for everyone. The purpose through which students, faculty and staff came together to create a special institution moved the first graduating Class of 2017 to establish the Senior Class Gift Campaign.

The Senior Class Gift (SCG) Campaign encouraged graduating students to donate, with the funds raised going towards financial aid for future Yale-NUS applicants.

The first year to graduate in 2017 raised $4,557, with 91% of Seniors contributing.

As we become alumni and spread across the globe, the ways in which we can be involved in the Yale-NUS community will change. Having all of us coming together to give back is about acknowledging and accepting this transition.

—Zachary Mahon (Class of 2017), member of the inaugural SCG Committee.

Research, Professorships and Fellowships

Many programmes were created to support faculty positions, teaching and research at the College.

Andreas Teoh Contemporary Asian Art Programme

The Andreas Teoh Contemporary Asian Art Programme was established to support teaching and research in the area of modern or contemporary Asian art, grounded in the multi-layered history of the region and its relationship to the arts. This included supporting a Fellowship given to a scholar at any career level from post-doctoral fellow to senior scholar.

—Jane Binks

In 2021, Dr Yanyun Chen, an award-winning Singaporean visual artist and Lecturer of Humanities (Visual Arts) at the College, was the inaugural recipient of the award. She commented, “The programme offers financial support, new networks, and opportunities for exchange with a larger global arts community. I look forward to finding out how it will influence my work, pedagogy, and thought in a few years’ time.”

Georgette Chen Fellowship

The Georgette Chen Fellowship was established through the Georgette Chen Trust to be given to an assistant or associate professor and was not limited to a specific field. The late Georgette Chen was world-renowned and one of Singapore’s most well-known artists.

—Jane Binks

The Fellowship’s first recipient, Associate Professor of Humanities (Arts and Humanities) Maria Taroutina, used the Fellowship grant to buy art history books for the College Library and to fund her research trips and the publication of her research.

J Y Pillay Fellowship and Professorships

The J Y PillayFellowship and two Professorships were set up to honor Professor J Y Pillay, an eminent policy maker and corporate leader. These endowments were established with gifts from corporate and private donors led by Singapore Airlines and Singapore Exchange. These positions are part of the wider J Y Pillay Global Asia Programme, which supported innovative academic and student programmes, while the Study Awards supported students with financial need at the College.

—Jane Binks

The J Y Pillay Fellowship allowed the College to hire young academics to help develop and participate in the College’s diverse curriculum and programmes. 2016’s recipient was Assistant Professor of Humanities (Philosophy) Malcolm Keating, of whom then Executive Vice President (Academic Affairs) Professor Tan Tai Yong said “I believe that his extensive research and experience in Indian philosophy, as well as his desire to cross cultural and disciplinary boundaries, will be extremely valuable for our community of learning, Singapore and the rest of the region.”

In 2021, the two J Y Pillay Professorships enabled Professor of Social Sciences (Economics) David Jacks and Professor of Social Sciences (Politics) Chris Howell to join the College as Visiting Professors.

Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professorship

The Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professorship was established to support a senior faculty member with a specialisation in humanities or the social sciences.

—Jane Binks

Renowned philosopher and public intellectual Bryan Van Norden was named the Visiting Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Professor in 2017. He joined the Philosophy and Political Thought Common Curriculum team and taught a course on Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism.

Tan Chin Tuan Professorship in China/Chinese Studies

The Tan Chin Tuan Professorship in China/Chinese Studies was established to support a senior faculty member or visiting professor who is a recognised international expert in the fields of Chinese History or Philosophy, Economics, Sociology, Politics, International Relations, Geography, or Environmental Studies, with a special expertise on China. The Fellows and Professors were part of the wider Chinese Culture & Civilisation Programme.

—Jane Binks

Professor of Humanities (Chinese Studies) Scott Cook was the inaugural recipient in 2021. The Professorship enabled Professor Cook to further his research in early Chinese intellectual history and manuscript studies. He commented that the Professorship was a “unique opportunity to build a world-class Chinese Studies programme, and to do that in a part of the world where Chinese culture has a long history of close interaction with other regional cultures and which occupies a pivotal juncture in China’s geopolitical relations with other nations across the globe today.”

The Tan Chin Tuan Chinese Culture & Civilisation Programme also enabled students and faculty to attend conferences and short-term exchange programmes, as well as host conferences and workshops to advance the understanding of China and Chinese culture.

Wong Ngit Liong Professorship

The Wong Ngit Liong Professorship was set up in honour of businessman and former Chairman of the National University of Singapore Board of Trustees, Mr Wong Ngit Liong. It was given to outstanding academics from across the world.

—Jane Binks

The Professorship aimed to bring distinguished faculty from all over the world to teach at the College. In 2020, the inaugural Professorship was awarded to Professor of Social Sciences Lee Cuba from the American liberal arts college Wellesley College. Professor Cuba noted, “I grew both as a teacher and scholar while at the College, interacting with students and colleagues I would never have met otherwise. I am grateful for the support and recognition afforded by the Professorship and look forward to staying connected to Yale-NUS in the years to come.”

Yale Faculty Visiting Professorship

The Yale Faculty Visiting Professorship was established to support visiting professors from Yale University to teach at the College. Visiting professors typically spent a semester or more at the College. The College welcomed many Yale faculty over the years.

—Jane Binks

In 2023, four Yale faculty taught at the College: Professor Marvin Chun, Professor Woo-Kyoung Ahn, Associate Professor Jonathan Wyrtzen and Lecturer Leslie Gross-Wyrtzen. In addition to teaching courses, some of the visiting faculty also supervised capstone projects and gave Rector’s Tea talks.

Yap Kim Hao Professorship in Comparative Religious Studies

The Yap Kim Hao Professorship in Comparative Religious Studies was set up to honour the late Reverend Dr Yap Kim Hao, former Vice-President of the Inter-Religious Organisation, which has been actively promoting inter-faith dialogues and understanding in Singapore since 1949.

—Jane Binks

The Professorship was awarded to Associate Professor of Social Sciences (Anthropology) Nur Amali Ibrahim in 2022, providing research support that enabled him to complete several writing projects, including a book that investigated questions of care around low wage migrant workers in Singapore.

Associate Professor Ibrahim noted that he was “most excited by how the position honors the legacy of an individual who has contributed greatly to equality. The late Reverend Yap Kim Hao was a tireless advocate of the marginalised, including LGBTQ+ people and refugees, as well as a proponent of inter-religious dialogue for peace.”