Yale-NUS College, Singapore President to speak on international higher education partnerships at th

President of the prestigious Yale-NUS College in Singapore, Professor Pericles Lewis, will speak at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies on Tuesday, 10 May. President Lewis will be the distinguished speaker in a dialogue on building international higher education partnerships for 21st century growth. 

President Lewis will speak at the invitation of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, whose Chairman is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera, MP. The  event is organised by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka. The Dialogue will also feature Executive Director of the United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission Tissa Jayatilaka, and will be moderated by Dr. Dinusha Panditaratne of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute. 

Professor Lewis is the founding and incumbent President of Yale-NUS College (Yale-NUS) in Singapore. Established in 2011, Yale-NUS is an independent degree-granting college with a full-time residential program. The Yale-NUS education emphasises broad-based multidisciplinary learning. It is a collaborative venture between Yale University and National University of Singapore and as a result, Yale-NUS draws from the resources and traditions of both eminent institutions. It is so far the only independent institution outside the U.S. that bears the name of Yale University, one of the eight renowned “Ivy League” colleges in the U.S. 

Prior to becoming the President of Yale-NUS, President Lewis was a tenured professor at Yale University.  Under his leadership in Singapore, Yale-NUS has recruited approximately 100 faculty members from top universities around the world; designed an international curriculum for studying the liberal arts and sciences; and enrolled outstanding students from 38countries across six continents. It is now one of the world’s most selective colleges, having admitted around 5% of applicants for the Class of 2019. 

The Dialogue at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute is being held to (1) raise awareness of the types of international higher education partnerships elsewhere, and their potential opportunities and challenges, (2) highlight the skills and knowledge that employers expect university graduates to possess, (3) consider the potential of international higher education partnerships in Sri Lanka to meet expectations and fill any gaps in Sri Lanka’s higher education system, (4) brainstorm how Sri Lanka can attract desirable partnerships, and (5) consider the role of the government, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in facilitating Sri Lanka’s international higher education partnerships. 

In discussing these issues, President Lewis will focus on his experience at Yale-NUS, its significance and contribution to Singapore’s growth story, and the types of partnerships Sri Lanka may wish to establish to achieve its economic and strategic interests. 

The Dialogue will take place in the presence of 120 invitees, including heads of universities, members of government, policymakers, business leaders, scholars, and civil society. Like other dialogues hosted by the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, it provides Sri Lanka with an opportunity to engage with global thought leaders, and will inform new research initiatives of the Institute that are aimed at providing practical recommendations and insights to advance Sri Lanka’s strategic interests.