Convocation marks a significant milestone in a student’s life and is a proud moment for their family and loved ones. It is the culmination of their years of hard work and sacrifice to pursue their aspirations for that coveted degree.
With that in mind, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) held Convocation 2021 from 5 to 12 October 2021 on campus which were streamed live also. With the theme ‘Go make your mark’ to inspire its graduands to apply their knowledge and skills to impact society for the greater good, SUSS graduated 2,593 students, which included the inaugural graduands from its Bachelor of Laws, Master of Management and Enterprise Leadership for Transformation programmes.
Madam Halimah Yacob, President of Singapore and SUSS’s Patron, presided at the opening ceremony, with Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister for Law as the Guest-of-Honour, while Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing graced the following day’s session.
SUSS presented the inaugural ‘Provost 3H Fund – Habit Award’ at Convocation 2021 to 72-year-old graduand Mr Teo Jwee Chiang, for exemplifying a self-directed lifelong learner with strong ethics and values. Awarded a plaque and S$3,000 in cash, Mr Teo graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chinese Language and Literature, and was the oldest bachelor degree graduand among the 2021 cohort. The Award was established to honour SUSS’s founding Provost, Professor Tsui Kai Chong, for his pioneering spirit and innovative leadership during his 16-year tenure as Provost before retiring at the end of September 2021. It is aimed at inspiring students to embrace innovation in their educational pursuits while reinforcing the spirit of resilience, foundational for a lifelong passion for learning. In keeping with Professor Tsui’s advocacy of non-academic excellence, the fund highlights excellence in non-academic endeavours, in areas such as service-learning, entrepreneurship and lifelong education.
Convocation 2021 was SUSS’s second in-person convocation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic; the first was held for the Class of 2020. With the University’s top priority being the health, safety and well-being of all attendees, Covid-19 safe management measures such as the observance of one metre safe distancing between individuals were implemented. This saw SUSS conducting four sessions per day over six days for Convocation 2021.
