- Our international reputation is increasingly well-recognised. Up to 11 NTU academic subjects are now placed among the top ten in the world, with up to four subjects considered the best globally, highlighting a significant ascent in NTU’s intellectual stature. As a young university, the impressive climb of NTU has now placed it within the top 50 in the world in all three major global assessments, for the first time in its history. NTU has also emerged as a global top young university for seven years in a row by one key international measure. Indeed, the UK government has recognised these achievements and announced, just last week, that NTU graduates will be among those selective cohorts from the top universities in the world to receive a special visa to seek employment in the UK.
- The growing reputation of NTU has been clearly reflected in our ability to attract talent from Singapore and leading universities around the world, with more than 350 faculty members recruited just in the past four years (even during the pandemic), including new Distinguished University Professors and senior leadership team members from prestigious universities. The Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Programme, launched in 2018, has now become the most competitive young talent attraction scheme at NTU, with more than 1,050 applications for only 12 positions even during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
- NTU took a decisive step in its commitment to be a leader in environmental sustainability, and to demonstrate at scale how we build on our education and research activities to effect long-lasting change on our own Smart Campus and for the planet. In October 2021, NTU released the Sustainability Manifesto with a pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035. It also became the first university in the world to issue sustainability-linked public bonds.
- These academic achievements and ambitions have been underpinned by important governance and administrative successes, to build a robust, sustainable and secure future for NTU. The deliberate measures we introduced in 2018 have guided the University to financial sustainability while preserving our reserves for the rainy day. In its first ever credit rating exercise, NTU received Aaa credit rating from Moody’s, with 「stable outlook」, in October 2021. Our strategic investments in cloud-based digital technologies have enabled us to accelerate our migration to online learning while nurturing new teaching and learning innovations during and beyond the pandemic.
- And our infrastructure for future achievements that benefit industry and society has also been developed: major new Corporate and Joint Laboratories have been established at NTU in the past four years including those with HP Inc., Continental, Schaeffler, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, and Surbana Jurong. A new S$94-million Research Centre of Excellence, the Institute for Digital Molecular Analytics and Science, and the S$40-million Waste-to-Energy facility were established in the last three years. The scope and scale of NTU’s innovation and NTUitive’s impact in nurturing startups have also expanded significantly.
This letter comes with a big 『thank you』 to each one of you – the faculty, staff and students with whom I have had the privilege to interact. None of this could have happened without your engagement, commitment and support. I give special thanks to my close leadership team: the current and former members of the core and extended President’s Council including the VPs, deans, administrative heads, School Chairs, and Faculty Senate members, as well as current and former members of the Board of Trustees. Their contributions, together with the strong support over the years from the Singapore government agencies, mean that the future success of NTU will be assured. I owe personal thanks to so many people and I look forward to reaching out to them in due course. For now, I express my deep gratitude particularly to Prof Ling San, Prof Lam Khin Yong, Ms Tan Aik Na, Ms Loretta Cruz, Ms Loreen Tan, and Ms Huei Ashley E. Lee for all their dedication and hard work and for giving me their unstinting support.
I know that NTU will go from strength to strength with all your effort – enhancing the University’s activities in learning, knowledge creation and dissemination, talent development, innovation, and service to Singapore and humanity. I know this because you, alongside our more than 250,000 alumni in over 150 countries, will fly the NTU flag high.
I plan to continue to work hard during the remainder of my term as President to further the goals of NTU 2025. I have been and continue to be deeply appreciative of the opportunity to have served as NTU’s President. NTU is a very special place because you make it so. It has been a privilege to be a part of your success.
With my warm wishes and appreciation,
Subra Suresh
President and Inaugural Distinguished University Professor
NTU董事會的信件
信件摘要
NTU董事會對於蘇布拉·蘇雷什教授和其妻子瑪麗在這五年中的貢獻，以及對南大社區的慷慨承諾表達了感謝，也表示，在未來幾周內，將成立專門的搜索委員會，以選定下一任校長。
三十年來，南洋理工大學作為世界卓越大學，不懈求知，以解決人類的四大挑戰：減輕我們對環境的影響；利用學習的科學、藝術和技術；解決技術對人類的影響；以及解決老齡化社區的需求。董事會也感謝大家對南大使命的堅定信念。
信件原文
（向上滑動啟閱）
Dear Members of the NTU community,
Professor Subra Suresh today announced that he will step down as President of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) at the end of Dec 2022 after five years at the helm of NTU.
On behalf of the University, I thank Subra and his wife, Mary, for their contributions over these five years. I am grateful to Subra and Mary for their generosity and commitment to NTU and our community.
During Subra’s tenure, he further established NTU as a top global University, broadening affiliations and expanding collaborations with major academic institutions and industry players internationally. Under his leadership, Subra and his team introduced curriculum innovations and digital technologies, offering a top quality education to our students. NTU has made progress over the last three decades and Subra’s vision for higher learning will continue this momentum.
In the coming weeks, the Board of Trustees will form a search committee to identify the next President. Subra will continue to helm NTU until the end of this year, allowing for a smooth transition as the University seeks its next President.
