National University of Singapore Strange that students and stakeholders were not consulted on Yale-NUS merger
I am a parent of a Year 3 Yale-NUS student. Like my daughter, I am upset by the sudden announcement that the college will be merging with the University Scholars Programme (Yale-NUS College to merge with NUS scholars programme, Aug 28).

It is strange that the management made such a decision without the students and stakeholders being consulted.

The way it was handled showed that there was not much consideration and empathy for the students, given that their future may be affected by this important decision.

I am puzzled by the decision to expand the liberal arts college.

I had been researching liberal arts colleges in the United States for my daughter before deciding on Yale-NUS.

Many liberal arts colleges thrive in a small, intimate and inclusive residential environment, and their success was never about the scale of the college.

Two years ago, I attended the week-long orientation programme organised for new parents and was very impressed by the students and school leaders.

Parents had intimate discussions and interactions over dinner and coffee with faculty staff and existing students.

Our family lived many years in the United States and China, and I liked that Yale-NUS has a good mix of local and foreign students.

Yale-NUS did a good job building its global reputation and attracting many international students.

I could see a lot of effort and hard work put in by current and past students and faculty members to build Yale-NUS as an inclusive liberal arts college.

I was very assured that the college is a diverse, stimulating and conducive learning environment for my daughter.

Parents were invited and included in the admission process. Yet I have not received any correspondence from the college about the merger.

Sim Swee Kiok

Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-strange-that-students-and-stakeholders-were-not-consulted-on-yale-nus-merger

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