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Singapore Spinoff
Yale-NUS: FAQ
November/December 2010
Would the college be a branch campus of Yale?
No. The college, tentatively called Yale-NUS College, would
be an autonomous school on the National University of Singapore campus, run by
a board with equal representation from Yale and Singaporean officials.
Would it offer Yale degrees?
No. The college would confer its degrees through NUS.
Where would the students come from?
The college hopes to attract bright students from throughout
Asia, probably about half of them from Singapore itself. Full enrollment would
be about 1,000 undergraduates.
Who would teach there?
The college would have about 100 professors. Yale would take
the lead in recruiting professors at various career stages who have experience with liberal arts education. Yale faculty might spend
occasional semesters teaching there, but the Yale-NUS faculty would be separate
from that of Yale University.
What kinds of courses would be taught?
Yale-NUS would present a liberal arts curriculum like that of
Yale College, but probably with some kind of core curriculum for the first two
years that examines Western and Asian civilization in dialogue. Classes would
be taught in English.
What are the financial implications for Yale?
As proposed, the venture would neither make nor cost money
for Yale. The Singaporean government and NUS would pay the construction and
operating costs. There would be some “opportunity cost” to Yale if faculty and
administrators are spending time on this project instead of other work, but
some of that time would be reimbursed by Singapore. |