Honouring Professor Cham Tao Soon

Especially in Singapore, state support plays an important role in education. My father was a civil servant and my mother a primary school teacher. Sending me to university was beyond my parents’ modest means. I needed a state scholarship for university. I didn’t even know what engineering was at the time. It was my father who told me to study engineering. In those days, children did as they were told.

At Raffles Institution, I was one of the top students. The expectation at that time for one who has done well at the A-level examinations was to get the Queen’s Scholarship which enabled the scholar to study at the University of Cambridge. But Singapore’s political winds changed, and all state scholars had to attend a local university. In 1964, I graduated from the University of Malaya as a civil engineer.

Many people decline donating to fund professorships because they think universities are rich enough and in the case of our local universities, the government will provide the funding. However, if we can raise professorships through donations and public support, the community will be supplementing this role of government funding and have a stake in the outcomes.

In the case of this new Professorship, the donations will go towards appointing outstanding faculty members who assume research leadership roles at NTU, elevating the University’s thought leadership and research excellence in Engineering. In addition, the donation attracts Government matching grant, a portion of which benefits the NTU General Endowment, to support areas of greatest need. I see this as a duty of an educator, to be able to make a big impact to nurture the younger generation.

The late Mr Lee Wee Nam was an eminent businessman, a well-respected community leader and philanthropist. What is the S$10 million story connected to Mr Lee that amazed you? 

To educators: Contributing to society is a must. For educators, teaching is a given, but you must contribute to the community. Contribute not only to those who need help but to help some of the industries that need nurturing. Connect with alumni. They are students for four years, but learning is lifelong. Encourage them to do further courses. To do that, you must make them feel what they are learning and applying is part of society. 

I am glad that NTU will launch its inaugural Service Week next January as part of UAO’s We Belong 2022 campaign. The name is apt. It brings students, alumni, faculty and staff together to serve critical needs within society and raise funds collectively as a family. Modern universities have strong links to their communities.