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Singapore's first university of the arts to enrol pioneer batch of students in August 2024

SINGAPORE — Singapore's first university of the arts will welcome its first cohort of students in August 2024, with applications opening in the third quarter of next year. 

The new arts university is a tie-up between Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), though both will continue as separate colleges as well.

The new arts university is a tie-up between Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), though both will continue as separate colleges as well.

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  • Singapore's first university of the arts will welcome its first cohort of students in August 2024
  • Applications will open in the third quarter of 2023 
  • The university is being formed by an alliance between Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa)
  • The new university will offer an expanded range of programmes in fine arts, design, media arts, performing arts and arts management, among others

SINGAPORE — Singapore's first university of the arts will welcome its first cohort of students in August 2024, with applications opening in the third quarter of next year. 

The university, to be called the University of the Arts Singapore (UAS), is being formed by a partnership between Lasalle College of the Arts and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa).

Both Lasalle and Nafa will remain as separate legal entities and distinct colleges while UAS will operate out of the National Design Centre in Middle Road, which is close to the two other institutions. 

The Ministry of Education, Lasalle and Nafa provided more details on the opening date and location of the private university in a joint statement on Tuesday (Aug 30), more than a year after then-Education Minister Lawrence Wong first announced plans to open the then-unnamed university early last year. 

The university will support Singapore's "future economy, which will require a diverse talent pool including that from the arts and humanities", the statement said, adding that UAS will help make the Republic "a creative, innovation-driven city".

UAS will be an alliance between three separate entities — Lasalle and Nafa, along with a new central body UAS Ltd, which has degree-awarding powers. 

"UAS Ltd will lead and provide strategic direction to UAS, while acting as the central coordinating body to drive synergies across the university," said the institutions in the joint statement. 

"UAS will draw on the best traditions and heritages of both arts institutions to deliver greater value to students, faculty and staff," said the institutions in the statement.

UAS will draw on the best traditions and heritages of both arts institutions to deliver greater value to students, faculty and staff.
Joint statement on the new university

The new university will offer an expanded range of programmes in fine arts, design, media arts, performing arts and arts management, as well as in new and upcoming areas in the applied arts.

"It will validate, confer and award degrees in respect to the degree programmes offered by both art institutions (and) will also support the arts institutions in the delivery of quality educational experiences through the provision of student services, as well as ensure the university’s overall operational excellence and sustainability.''

Prospective students can look forward to more learning opportunities through a wider range of cross-college modules, joint electives, enhanced student support services, and new access to shared resources and facilities.

Faculty and staff may also benefit from more opportunities in academic, research and teaching collaborations, among other resources to "support them in their continuous professional development". 

The university will also provide the opportunity for "larger scale" collaborations, such as with world-class arts practitioners and researchers to "further Singapore’s status as a thought leader in the creative arts in Asia and beyond".

More information for prospective students, such as UAS’ slate of offerings in Academic Year 2024, will be announced in due time, the institutions added. 

The degree programme will also be kept affordable — a key priority, in order to ensure that it is accessible to Singaporeans. 

The university's board of trustees will be led by board chairperson Jose Isidro Camacho, who is the managing director and vice chairman for Credit Suisse Asia Pacific, while Professor Kwok Kian Woon, currently the associate vice president for wellbeing at Nanyang Technological University, will be the university’s inaugural Vice-Chancellor and chief executive.

These key leadership appointments will take effect from Thursday, to "commence preparations", said the joint statement. 

At a media conference on Tuesday, Mr Camacho said: "The establishment of the UAS is a bold and historic move. It may be a new university, but it will be built on the strong foundation of the two constituent partners, Lasalle and Nafa.

"With their long history, rich heritage, sterling reputation, and a long list of well-known and successful alumni, I am confident that the UAS and its graduates will play a vital role in Singapore’s art and cultural scene and will contribute towards Singapore’s future economy." 

He added that the UAS will undoubtedly place Singapore on the map as a regional hub for creative talent, and a stage for excellence in arts and design practice in Southeast Asia and beyond. 

Agreeing, Prof Kwok said: "The setting up of the University of the Arts Singapore is premised on Singapore's new chapter in our society and in our economy, in which we need to generate new waves of creative energy." 

"As a scholar and a teacher, whose life and outlook has been profoundly shaped by the arts, I hope to lead together with all my colleagues to bring the University of the Arts Singapore off to a good start," he added. 

"The UAS can be a very special institution of higher learning, transforming arts education and energising our cultural landscape and the creative economy. Our artists, who are also educators at the same time, have much to offer to our next generations of artists and creative citizens." 

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