Speech by SUSS President, Professor Tan Tai Yong at the SUSS RAISE Carnival 2025

Mdm Halimah Yacob, Chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences

Dr Lillyn Teh and Mr Foo Suan Tong

Distinguished Guests

Students, Colleagues and Friends

1. Good morning! I am delighted to welcome all of you to our very first RAISE Carnival at SUSS!

2. This is a special and meaningful day for our community. RAISE, as you know, stands for Respect, Adaptability, Integrity, Service, and Empathy. These are values that guide the way we teach, learn, and work together. This Carnival brings those values to life in a vibrant and meaningful way and reminds us that what we stand for matters just as much as what we do.

3. Today, we are joined by over 1,600 members of the SUSS community, including our valued community partners. For students, this marks the close of Welcome Month – a month where we organise initiatives such as LEAD for Good and the Student Life Fair to help you familiarise yourselves with our vibrant campus life.

4. For staff, it’s also Family Day – a meaningful opportunity to bring loved ones onto campus, share a glimpse of our workplace environment, and let them experience the vibrant spirit and community that define life at SUSS. For the SUSS community, it’s about coming together in the spirit of Giving Day and celebrating what we can achieve as one.

Expanded Support and Recognition for Students

5. Building a tight-knit community also means that we must make sure no one gets left behind. Hence, on this befitting occasion, it gives me great pleasure to make two announcements. First, under the SUSS Education Access initiative, we will expand tuition coverage to include all Singaporean undergraduate full time and part time students with a family per capita income of $1,100 or below.  In other words, Singaporean students who are eligible will not have to pay tuition fees for the duration of their undergraduate studies at SUSS.

6. Second, under the same SUSS Education Access initiative with initial seed funding by the Quantedge Foundation, we have received the largest ever donation from an individual. Dr Lillyn Teh’s generous gift of $7.5 million has helped us achieve the milestone of expanding our tuition coverage to ALL students who need financial assistance during their studies at SUSS.

7. This initiative removes financial barriers while recognising the academic progress and determination of students who continue to persevere despite limited resources. It’s about recognising students who show tenacity – those who press forward despite financial or personal challenges, and who believe in the power of education to transform lives. It supports those who have shown that they are committed to doing well and pushing forward.

8. With this, SUSS becomes the only autonomous university in Singapore to provide such support to eligible part-time students – a group that forms a large part of our learning community. Many of them balance work, family, and school responsibilities. This support enables them to focus on their studies with confidence, knowing their efforts are recognised and their challenges understood.

9. Dr Teh’s gift also enables us to better recognise students who display excellence. It supports a range of awards that reflect the effort, consistency, and values we want to see in our graduates – from Merit Awards across all levels, to the Valedictorian and Salutatorian Awards, and the SUSS Core Curriculum Top Graduate Award.

10. I am especially pleased to introduce the inaugural Dr Lillyn Teh - SUSS RAISE Excellence Award, which will be given each year to a graduating student who best represents our University’s values on top of their outstanding academic performance. The award recognises a role model who walks the talk and inspires others to do the same. The first recipient will be receiving this award in October’s Convocation for the graduating Class of 2025.

Encouraging a Culture of Giving

11. Now, this is a very special next part which I want to share. Dr Teh’s gift also seeds what we call the Pay It Forward Award, a fund to support students with education-related expenses not covered by tuition. Through this initiative, we can cover tuition fees for those in need, but beyond that, we want to make it possible for them to experience the full university life and not be constrained by the lack of resources.

12. So, this fund will support students with expenses such as laptops, overseas programmes, and even co-curricular activities. This award is application-based and aimed at helping students participate fully in university life.

13. What makes it powerful is how it’s designed to grow. For every $1 raised by the SUSS community, be it from students, alumni, or staff, Dr Teh will contribute $2 as a matching fund. Together with MOE’s matching, that multiplies into $6 of impact that we will be able to generate. So, if each of us from the community were to contribute $1, the impact would be multiplied by six times, and the funds would be used to support students to have an enriching and fulfilling university life.

14. And, in the spirit of paying forward, students who receive this award are encouraged to give back to the community when they are able. There’s no obligation, but we hope that by receiving it, students will feel the need to eventually pay it forward and contribute to their younger siblings in the university to enable them to have the same kind of experience.

15. This collective effort is brought to life through Giving Day. Since 2022, we have witnessed how the SUSS community come together and participate in fundraising activities such as the Better Together Challenge to support various causes.

16. So, in this year’s Giving Day, we hope that we will be able to support the Pay It Forward initiative. This is how we nurture a lasting culture of care and responsibility, creating a virtuous cycle deeply aligned with our values and with Singapore’s larger story as we celebrate SG60 – 60 years of building a caring, resilient, forward-looking nation.

Celebrating SG60 Together through Service

17. As we commemorate this national milestone, SUSS is proud to contribute in our own way. This year, Singapore celebrates its Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of independence with the theme "Building Our Singapore Together." Alongside reflecting on our nation’s progress, we are playing our part through various SG60 initiatives in thought leadership, community service, and student impact. We’re committed to creating positive change and have already seen significant engagement.

18. For instance, our Corporate Volunteerism Programme aims to engage 400 staff volunteers, with over 300 already supporting six social service partners. Additionally, our alumni’s Drums Up for Active Ageing Programme has brought fitness drumming to seniors at 38 Active Ageing Centres, promoting wellness in an engaging way. Our aim is to expand this initiative to 60 centres by year-end.

Conclusion

19. Once again, I extend my sincere gratitude to Dr Teh. Your gift reflects not just generosity, but a deep understanding of what students need to succeed and the importance of giving them the opportunity to do so. Your gift is a beacon of what can be achieved when we come together in service of something greater.

20.Thank you all for being here to celebrate this meaningful moment. I hope you enjoy the Carnival and continue to carry the RAISE values with you – in school, in work, and in life.