Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards (FTEA) 2019

Faculty Teaching Excellence Award

The Faculty Teaching Excellence Award is awarded to faculty members who have displayed a high level of commitment to their teaching. Each year, a select few colleagues are recognised for their teaching based on peer reviews, student feedback and exposition of their teaching philosophy.

We congratulate the following colleagues on their achievements in teaching.  These FASS faculty members have been awarded the Faculty Teaching Excellence Award for their work in AY2018-19.

Name Department
Dr Zhou Ziqian Centre For English Language Communication
Ms Lam Wanli, Aileen Centre For English Language Communication
Dr Chan Kwang Guan Daniel Centre For Language Studies
Mr Muzzammil Bin Mohamed Yassin Centre For Language Studies
Mr Nagami, Masanori Centre For Language Studies
Mr Yuzuru Hamasaki Centre For Language Studies
Ms Klayklueng , Sasiwimol Centre For Language Studies
Ms Lian Oi Lin Centre For Language Studies
Ms Maria Inmaculada Melero Carras Centre For Language Studies
Prof Ong Chang Woei Chinese Studies
Dr Alexander Ian Mitchell Communications And New Media
Dr Ong Ee Cheng Economics
Mr Chua Yeow Hwee Economics
A/P Loon Seong Yun, Robin English Language & Literature
Dr Lee Huiying Nala English Language & Literature
Dr Leslie Lee English Language & Literature
Dr Rebecca Lurie Starr English Language & Literature
A/P Chang Tou Chuang Geography
Dr Kamalini Ramdas Geography
Dr Donna Maree Brunero History
Dr Jaradi Priya Manish History
Dr Lawrence, Kelvin History
Dr Wang Jinping History
A/P Bain, William Ward Political Science
Dr Graf, Sinja Ursula Political Science
Dr Lepori, Matthew Aaron Political Science
Dr Ray, Subhasish Political Science
A/P Lim Wee Hun, Stephen Psychology
Dr Cha Yeow Siah Psychology
Dr Lee Li Neng Psychology
Dr Nina Laurel Powell Psychology
Dr Pon Kwai Ling Social Work
Dr Wong Yuh Ju Peace Social Work
A/P Feng Qiushi Sociology
Dr Ivan Kwek Eng Tai Sociology
Dr Noorman Abdullah Sociology
Dr Radics, George Baylon Sociology

Special Teaching Award

The Special Teaching Award recognises colleagues with special capabilities in the following categories:-
Educational Leadership: Administrative service and leadership in curriculum development
Innovation: Innovative use of technology in teaching
Pedagogy: Research on teaching pedagogies
Students’ Choice: Excellence in student feedback and rapport with learners
Versatility: Range of modules taught across levels, student numbers and genres

Special Teaching Award Recipients

Education Leadership Award
Dr Lee Li Neng Psychology
Industry Engagement Award
Dr Wong Yuh Ju Peace Social Work
Students’ Choice Award
Mr Yuzuru Hamasaki
Ms Klaykleung, Sasiwimol
Centre for Language Studies
Centre for Language Studies
Versatility Award
Dr Kamalini Ramda Geography

Congratulations to all our winners for their excellent work!

FASS90 GALA DINNER | Looking Back, Pressing Forward

NUS FASS marked its 90th anniversary, the Dean delivered a strong performance on stage, and Guest of Honour Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, called for further government-academia collaboration on public policy.

From its beginnings in 1929 as part of Raffles College offering three-year diplomas in English, Economics, History and Geography, to its position today as a global top 20 provider of higher education in the Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences & Management, the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) has come a long way.

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs, talked about the ways academia can help drive public policy and called for their greater collaboration with the government.Photo Credit: Ministry of Manpower

The Dean of FASS, Professor Robbie Goh, referenced this journey during his opening address at FASS 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner on Friday (15 November 2019) evening. “FASS began life…with the four founding majors of English, History and Geography. Its inaugural intake was 43 students,” said Professor Goh. “Fast forward 90 years…FASS takes in about 1,600 undergraduate students each, has 16 departments offering 20 majors, [and so far can count] among its alumni – a President, a Prime Minister, several Ministers and ambassadors, and other top civil servants of Singapore, along with notable CEOs, entrepreneurs, well-known actors, musicians and others who have contributed much to the world.”

Professor Goh performed for all supporters of FASS’s fundraising efforts.

Professor Goh proceeded to share details of initiatives and programmes already underway at NUS FASS with close to 300 alumni, staff, students and other supporters who packed the Empress Ballroom at Carlton Hotel in downtown Singapore to celebrate the Faculty’s 90th anniversary. These included the launch of: a new major under the Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) programme; joint and double degree programmes with overseas partners (the latest being the University of California, Berkeley); the FASS Social Incubator Programme, which sees to the provision of seed money to students working on innovative solutions to social work issues; and the “Industry Tracks” programme, which seeks to enhance the employability of FASS graduates by giving them the training, guidance and experience they need to succeed in the key industry segments most likely to hire them.

Assembled to cut FASS’s 90th Birthday cake (from left): Professor Goh; Professor Ho; Emeritus Professor Edwin Thumboo; Mr Archie Ong; Mrs Tan Suan Imm; Mr Soh Yi Da; Ms Zoey Lim, President, NUS Students’ Arts and Social Sciences Club.

Guest of Honour Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs, a FASS alumnus herself, shared the Government’s current approaches to helping ensure Singapore’s ageing population have sufficient funds to retire comfortably. She cited some of the major contributions the academic community has made to Central Provident Fund (CPF) policy to date, and called for further Government-academia collaboration in specific areas of research and public communications. Among her suggestions are programmes that seek to answer questions such as: How can it be ensured that the Basic Retirement Sum (BRS) of each CPF member is sufficient to cover basic expenses in the future?; How can the Government increase understanding of and promote take-up of schemes meant to enable retirees to supplement their incomes by making use of their HDB apartments?; How can older workers be incentivised to start their payouts later, so they will have higher payouts when they eventually retire?

Professor Ho Teck Hua, Senior Deputy President and Provost, NUS, sealed the FASS Leapfrog Time Capsule.

“We can make our system better through constantly looking over the horizon and planning ahead. In that sense, the CPF must remain a ‘live system’, always evolving and ever-responsive to emerging needs,” Mrs Teo said. “We hope that the academic and social science research community can join us to make it better.”Immediately following a dazzling Malay dance performance by dance group NUS Ilsa Tari, came students Wesley Wang (Year 2 Linguistics Major) and Nediva Singam (Year 4 Geography Major) sharing their experiences and lessons learnt during their respective turns in overseas exchange study programmes. They spoke in support of the launch of the new FASS Student Advancement Fund that extends further financial support for needy students.

NUS Ilsa Tari in perfect form

The proceeds of the Gala Dinner went directly to this fund, and the generosity of all donors so moved Professor Goh that he dedicated his rendition of James Taylor’s classic You’ve Got a Friend and the timeless hymn by John Newton, Amazing Grace to them. The audience returned his gesture not just with heartfelt applause.

Professor Goh, Professor Ho Teck Hua, Senior Deputy President and Provost, NUS, Singapore’s legendary poet Emeritus Professor Edwin Thumboo, illustrious Singapore educator and alumnus Mrs Tan Suan Imm, and, distinguished alumni Archie Ong and Soh Yi Da, who played key roles on the FASS 90 Gala Dinner Committee, came together to cut FASS’s 90th birthday cake.

Vernon Cornelius (of the Quests from 1960s Singapore) and his band in action

The climax of the event was the sealing of the FASS Leapfrog Time Capsule in commemoration of FASS’s 90th Anniversary. Professors Goh and Ho placed items representing the Deanery, every department, alumni, student body, along with the day’s edition of The Straits Times into the time capsule, which they set to reopen in 2079 on the occasion of FASS’s 150th anniversary. Professor Ho then sealed it by pressing a virtual button on an iPad, setting off confetti and cheers from everyone.

Every dollar makes a difference

We have never started out with the intention to carry out a donation drive of any sort, and throughout the sale, we have also made it very clear to anyone purchasing the books that we are not holding a donation drive (even though the proceeds will go to the FASS Graduate Student Help Fund).

The history graduate community have been talking about tidying up the Graduate room and sorting out the copious number of books that have accumulated over the years for a while but we always seem to lack the momentum and motivation to gather everyone together to do something about it.

A little tired of the lack of progress, I put out a call for action and several of my peers responded to the call. We thought that if we simply donated the books or put them in the recycling bin, it is too much of a waste– some of the titles are really great. As such, we thought of holding a book sale; this way, the books will go to someone who really wants them and we can actually tidy up the graduate room.

Thus, I would really like to thank Tony, Che-Wei, Sufei and Thawdar for taking the time to help in the setting-up and the manning of the book sale, and Kuan Huai for dropping by to offer moral support. Tony and Che-Wei were instrumental in de-cluttering and sorting out the books in preparation of the sale, and Sufei has also assisted tremendously in the moving of books to the stall. The sale would not have been possible without the help that everyone has pinched in. We have collected a total of $378.50, and the sum was donated to the FASS Graduate Student Help Fund. It is not a huge amount by any means, but we hope that every dollar makes a difference. 🙂

Wang Shuqin Sandy
Current MA candidate in History

 

PhD Research Scholarship Opportunity

Peopling Infrastructure: Aeromobilities, Automation and Labour Mobilisations in Asia

With a start date of August 2020, ONE Research Scholarship (RS) is available at the National University of Singapore (NUS) for prospective PhD students interested in completing a research on airport infrastructure, automation and labour.

Successful applicants will complete their degree in the Department of Geography.

The deadline for application is 15 April 2020.

Find out more here.