Higher education leaders most often pursue innovation and enhancement of learning through improvement of instruction, expanding research, and engaging students more deeply in their education. In addition, it's important to recognize that the physical structures, how different functions are brought together, and how positive interaction can be cultivated through design. The National University of Singapore just completed its University Town Complex which provides a variety of dining options as well as "four residential colleges, learning spaces and open-air communal areas."
NUS's President for nine years, Tan Chorh Chuan, takes great pride in having redesigned "the entire campus around a new academic vision, which included (introducing) experiential learning and bringing together diverse groups of people." Greater detail about the vision of NUS is provided in Enhancing Student Learning & Development in Cross-Border Higher Education in Susan Komives & Teck Koon Tan's chapter, "Student and Community Characteristics." This chapter outlines the purposeful adaptation of ideas that are often advocated by student affairs educators in the U.S. such as enhancing global exposure and immersion, redesigning campus living and learning, and promoting student development.
I had the opportunity to brief a visiting delegation from Singapore in my early days in Qatar - probably 2008 or 2009. At that time, Qatar Foundation was just beginning its big push in physical facilities. I primarily addressed the importance of the student experience and encouraging students to interact across culture. I wasn't sure what the delegation took away from my comments but it is now clear, whether explicitly tied to their visit to Qatar or not, NUS took the model that Qatar was building at the time and made it their own. The tragedy is that Qatar's model allowed its branch campuses to design buildings that were mini-campuses unto themselves, thus undermining the opportunity to bring Education City together as a whole. Qatar Foundation built a student center but strife over who would manage it, and who used it and for what purpose, continued to be contentious. Education/talent centers can be very powerful but they can fall short of their potential if partnerships grant too much autonomy and if the convening organization does not really understand the importance of shared and mutually beneficial work.
NUS's President for nine years, Tan Chorh Chuan, takes great pride in having redesigned "the entire campus around a new academic vision, which included (introducing) experiential learning and bringing together diverse groups of people." Greater detail about the vision of NUS is provided in Enhancing Student Learning & Development in Cross-Border Higher Education in Susan Komives & Teck Koon Tan's chapter, "Student and Community Characteristics." This chapter outlines the purposeful adaptation of ideas that are often advocated by student affairs educators in the U.S. such as enhancing global exposure and immersion, redesigning campus living and learning, and promoting student development.
I had the opportunity to brief a visiting delegation from Singapore in my early days in Qatar - probably 2008 or 2009. At that time, Qatar Foundation was just beginning its big push in physical facilities. I primarily addressed the importance of the student experience and encouraging students to interact across culture. I wasn't sure what the delegation took away from my comments but it is now clear, whether explicitly tied to their visit to Qatar or not, NUS took the model that Qatar was building at the time and made it their own. The tragedy is that Qatar's model allowed its branch campuses to design buildings that were mini-campuses unto themselves, thus undermining the opportunity to bring Education City together as a whole. Qatar Foundation built a student center but strife over who would manage it, and who used it and for what purpose, continued to be contentious. Education/talent centers can be very powerful but they can fall short of their potential if partnerships grant too much autonomy and if the convening organization does not really understand the importance of shared and mutually beneficial work.
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