“The Yale-NUS College adds something different and valuable to Singapore’s educational ecosystem. [...] Because here, the students live and learn together all four years of their college life [...] within the NUS campus, and experience first-hand an Asian society – one which is changing, moving, adapting to the times. That is from Singapore’s point of view.” (Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 2015) [1]

We call for the National University of Singapore (“NUS”) to rescind the decision to merge the University Scholars Programme (“USP”) and Yale-NUS College (“YNC”). We call on Professor Tan Eng Chye, President, NUS, the Board of Trustees, NUS, and the Governing Board, YNC, to respond by Wednesday, 8 September 2021.

The proposed merger is detrimental to past, present, and future students and faculty, as well as the wider education landscape in Singapore.

What Singapore stands to lose from this merger:

1. Reputation for quality higher education: The unceremonious closure of YNC will validate existing criticisms of Singapore's inability to run a world-class liberal arts college. Disrupting USP’s established programme also erodes faith in Singapore’s ability to sustain higher education programmes. Future partnerships between NUS and international institutions could be hindered by this decision.
2. YNC’s successful model of a Liberal Arts education: The Liberal Arts education offered by YNC is non-replicable in the proposed New College programme. YNC offers a full residential curriculum, which is anchored by YNC’s culture of intellectual and cultural diversity, and the pursuit of knowledge for its inherent value. 
3. Brain drain: There is a real and imminent threat of a substantial number of current faculty and students dropping out, especially among first/second-years and deferred matriculants. 
4. A reputable institution among employers: YNC graduates have achieved outstanding employment rates as reflected by the annual Graduate Employment Surveys. [2] The New College will face the challenge of rebuilding such an established brand name—a pointless return to square one when a successful programme already exists. 
5. Diverse and excellent international students: Many international students apply to YNC through Yale’s Common Application, a key advantage not retained in the New College. International students bring new perspectives to class discussions and better prepare local students for the global job market. [3] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made this exact point in 2011. [4]

Key stakeholders harmed by the merger:

1. Current YNC students: Beyond the multidisciplinary curriculum, the removal of YNC’s residential college system will diminish students’ ability to form a distinct culture of inclusivity and intellectual curiosity in the pursuit of broad-based learning, which are hallmarks of a world-class Liberal Arts education. 
2. Current USP students: The transition to New College violates the commitment to USP students to go through with the USP programme and graduate with a USP certificate.
3. Faculty: The dissolution of YNC spells uncertainty for YNC faculty’s career progression plans. Moreover, this unilateral decision undermines faculty trust in the NUS administration, potentially compelling existing faculty to leave and deterring prospective faculty. This not only compromises the quality of education for current YNC students, but also for the New College.
4. YNC and USP alumni: The level of recognition for YNC and USP, which would no longer exist, would plummet despite their previous excellent track records, and the defunct nature of the school would raise negative presumptions. 
5. Prospective students: USP and YNC have vastly different systems of curriculum. Both are valuable to our higher education landscape, and the merger reduces the range of academic options available to students in Singapore.

In conclusion, we reject the merger between USP and YNC, call for it to be cancelled, and call for the retention of YNC and USP as separate institutions.

Please view the full statement here: https://tinyurl.com/retainyncusp

[1] Speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Inauguration of the Yale-NUS College Campus

[2] Nine in 10 Yale-NUS College graduates secured employment in 2020

[3] Time for Singapore universities to admit more international students

[4] National Day Rally Speech, 2011