Publication Type
News Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
6-2025
Abstract
In an op-ed for The Straits Times, SMU President Professor Lily Kong reflects on the urgent need for universities to respond to the growing convergence of pressures facing higher education – including political scrutiny, funding constraints, technological disruption, and public scepticism. She calls for a reimagining of the university’s purpose: one that moves beyond knowledge acquisition and employment outcomes to embrace holistic student development, lifelong learning, and social relevance. Highlighting the importance of resilience, self-awareness, and adaptability, Prof Kong emphasises that learning happens as much outside the classroom as within it – through mentoring, community engagement, reflection, and lived experience. These are principles she affirms remain central to the SMU approach.
Keywords
Higher education, purpose, challenges
Discipline
Higher Education
Publication
Straits Times
First Page
B1
Last Page
B2
ISSN
1692-9344
Publisher
Singapore Press holdings
Citation
Kong, Lily, "Higher education is under siege: It needs to reinvent itself" (2025). Research Collection School of Social Sciences. Paper 4215.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4215
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4215
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.