About the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

In the 21st Century, one trend will be clear: the re-emergence, and renaissance, of Asian societies and civilisations. As Asian economies continue their rapid growth and development, the challenge will be for Asian systems of governance to keep pace and adapt to the new realities created by their rapidly globalising economies.

The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy was established in 2004 with the mission of educating and training the next generation of Asian policymakers and leaders. Its objectives are to raise the standards of governance throughout the region, improve the lives of the region’s people and, in so doing, contribute to the transformation of Asia. Throughout Asia, the demand for a first-rate public policy education is growing. The School is thus in the right place at the right time.

Although the School was formally launched in 2004, it has inherited a rich legacy left by its predecessor, the Public Policy Programme, set up in 1992 in partnership with the John F Kennedy School of Government (KSG) at Harvard University. To this day the School continues to maintain its strong partnership with KSG. At the same time, the School has developed new partnerships with Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA), the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po). These three educational institutes are the founding members of the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN), an initiative to bring together leading institutions from academia and practice to engage in a substantive dialogue around issues of global public policy concern. In July 2007, just barely three years after it was set up, the School established double degrees with LSE, Sciences Po and SIPA and was formally admitted into the GPPN, becoming the latest and only Asian member. With these partnerships, we look forward to training a new generation of globally-minded public policymakers.

Currently, the School offers one PhD and three Masters programmes: the Master in Public Policy; Master in Public Administration; Master in Public Management; and Doctor of Philosophy. While the curricula of the these programmes are structured around curricula and pedagogic methods followed by many leading schools of public policy around the world, they also stand out for their emphasis on the public policy experiences of Asian countries and the critical challenges facing them. In addtion, the School launched the Concurrent Degree Degree programmes with NUS Business School and Faculty of Law in July 2007, and the Double Degree programmes with them in January 2008.

The School also offers a diverse range of high quality executive programmes. Its flagship month-long executive programme, the Senior Management Programme, delivered by world-class faculty and practitioners, is offered jointly with SIPA and provides an innovative curriculum around the evergreen themes of Leadership, Governance and Global Trends. In July 2007, we also established the Executive Diploma in Public Administration (EDPA) with the Dubai School of Government (DSG). The EDPA combines the academic rigour of leadership and public management tools and frameworks with Asian and Middle Eastern perspectives and experiences.

Among the many strengths of the School is a diverse faculty drawn from all over the world. An equally diverse student population from all over Asia and beyond provides a rich and lively learning environment both in and out of the classroom. Much of the learning in graduate schools comes from fellow students and in this regard the School provides a unique opportunity to network with future generations of Asian policymakers and leaders. The School is also home to centres of excellence that bring us to the forefront of research and policymaking on globalisation, competitiveness and water policy, among others. These make the School an attractive venue for many world leaders, policymakers and opinion-formers who frequently visit the School to give public lectures and interact with our students.

The School is growing rapidly. We began in August 2004 with 50 students. A year later, our enrolment more than doubled to 106 students and in August 2006, we again more than doubled to over 217 students (with about 80% coming from overseas). By August 2008, our students numbered 284 from 42 countries and territories, signifying an expanding diversity. This growing student population means that the School’s community of alumni is also growing. Today the School enjoys the support of 578 alumni from around 30 countries, many of whom have risen to prominent positions in their organisations.

We invite you to join this exciting community by enrolling in the School, and we hope that this website will give you a sense of the unrivalled opportunities for learning, growth and development available at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

About Bukit Timah Campus

LKYSPP moved to its new home at the Bukit Timah Campus in December 2006. A historic site, the campus once housed one of Singapore’s first tertiary educational institutions, Raffles College. Restored to its former grandeur, the Bukit Timah Campus is now home to the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Faculty of Law.

The School occupies three buildings surrounding the lower quadrangle: Oei Tiong Ham which houses the Deanery, faculty and administrative offices; Manasseh Mayer, which houses lecture theatres and seminar rooms; and Li Ka Shing which houses faculty offices and executive education facilities. Spreading over a site area of several hectares, with a total built up area of 8,512 sq meters, the Bukit Timah Campus of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy can comfortably accommodate 400 full-time students. The campus is completely IT-enabled, providing wireless connectivity in line with today’s technologically driven age.

The Bukit Timah Campus was built in the 1920’s on a piece of land donated by the Straits Settlement Government to house Raffles College. The original design of the campus was by Cyril A Farey and Graham D Dawbam, who won a British empire-wide architectural competition in 1922 with this design. Raffles College was officially opened on 22 July 1929. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, the College was used as the Japanese army’s headquarters before reopening in October 1946.

In 1947, a Commission on Education in Malaya decided to form the Singapore Division of the University of Malaya by merging Raffles College and the King Edward VII College of Medicine, this being realised on October 8 1949. By the 1960s, as the University of Malaya could no longer meet the needs of Singapore and Malaya, a decision was made to separate the Kuala Lumpur and Singapore campuses and for them to become universities of their respective territories. The University of Singapore was thus established on 1 January 1962 at the Bukit Timah Campus.

Following the merger of the University of Singapore and the Nanyang University to form the National University of Singapore (NUS) in August 1980, the Bukit Timah Campus became a joint campus. After NUS moved into its Kent Ridge campus in 1981, the Institute of Education moved into the campus the following year and was renamed the National Institute of Education in 1991. The institute vacated the campus in 2000 and handed over the keys to the Singapore Management University (SMU) which moved in on 1 January 2000.

In 2005, the campus reverted to NUS, which used it to house its Law Faculty and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

About National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a multi-campus university of global standing, with distinctive strengths in education and research and an entrepreneurial dimension. Its diverse and cosmopolitan community of over 24,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students from 90 countries contribute to a rich learning and living environment across three campuses – its principal 150-hectare Kent Ridge campus, Bukit Timah campus and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore in Outram.

From a small medical school founded in 1905, NUS has grown into a global university with distinctive strengths in teaching and research. As Singapore’s foremost university, NUS plays a key role in the development of new knowledge that underpins Singapore’s position as a dynamic global city. NUS offers a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. There are 14 faculties offering courses from architecture to medicine to music. A special feature of NUS education is the global dimension of its courses in partnership with some of the world’s best institutions. NUS graduates are found throughout all sectors of Singapore’s economy and society and, increasingly, throughout the world. Today, many NUS alumni serve with distinction in leadership roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

With a 100-year tradition of excellence and a continued commitment towards achieving greater heights, NUS is becoming recognised as one of the world’s premier universities. In 2007, NUS was ranked among the World’s Top 40 Universities, and the top 5 in Asia, by Times Higher Education Supplement.