17 years and 2 rebrands later, Professor Cheong Hee Kiat is, at long last, hanging up his robes at SUSS. As the founding President of SUSS, the journey has been both exhilarating and fulfilling. There has not been a dull day for Prof Cheong during his tenure at SUSS, with his driving force being the faith and support entrusted to him by the staff of SUSS. He is acutely aware that SUSS is successful because there is a shared vision, trust, dedication and unity among the staff to build the University.
Even though SUSS was a Private University (known as SIM University or UniSIM) at the point of inception 17 years ago, Prof Cheong does not see a stark differentiation between private and autonomous universities. He believes that it is an honour and a mark of its quality and relevance for SUSS to be a part of the Singapore University system. Be it Private or Autonomous University, the aspiration is to produce able graduates. To him, “that is the purpose of the University – being able to give all students a good platform for education, opportunities for advancement in their lives and careers. If the university and its staff continue to see this as their mission and continue to work together with students towards fulfilling their aspirations, it will form the crux of our work and create cherished memories for all”.
Holding fast to the value SUSS brings, Prof Cheong hopes that all alumni are successful in their chosen path, be it in career, family, and even community. He hopes that they will use this opportunity well and develop the desire to give back to society and be a positive force for social good, and work in tandem with the University for this social cause.
In the same breath, Prof Cheong also encourages our fellow Alumni to take part in various alumni activities, be it recreational, learning, or social. “There are also opportunities to mentor the current students or even become a staff member or an associate faculty of SUSS. These initiatives were established with the aim for SUSS to be not just be another stop in their lives, but an integral part of each Alumnus’ life. After all, the relevance and appeal of SUSS can only grow stronger when our Alumni are rooted firmly in the University and champion SUSS”.
When asked about his retirement plans, Prof Cheong sees this as an opportune use of his time to focus on the other aspects of his life. One of his focus areas is being able to contribute to the educational processes and provisions of the Singapore Bible College, a place he holds close to his heart and a role that is very much familiar to him. Not only will this allow Prof Cheong to seek spiritual growth in his faith, but to him, it also enables him to spend his time meaningfully. Setting aside more time for the family also ranks highly among the things that Prof Cheong would like to do once he retires. He shares that he will also pursue activities that pique his interest and looks forward to being involved in acts that will benefit others. He advises all to keep learning, keep being refreshed in the heart, mind and body as he will do. He also hopes to sustain the friendships and bonds created at SUSS after his retirement. Looks like a very busy retirement plan!
On some of his immediate plans, Prof Cheong shared that two personal challenges that he hopes to embark on would be firstly, to learn how to play the piano as it requires hand-eye-ear coordination, while keeping the brain nimble. The other would be to learn Chinese as he did not study Chinese as a second language in school. Conversation Chinese would allow Prof Cheong to pick up a new language and, at the same time, converse with those whom he may not have had mastery to do so previously.
An educator at heart, Prof Cheong circled back to his hope for the university, expressing that SUSS can use the present foundation as a springboard for greater excellence and growth. To him, SUSS has not reached its full potential and he hopes that with the new leadership, SUSS will soar high to the next new and exciting milestones. “May the institution continue to have that desire to create opportunities for those who come knocking at its door, support their learning, always having that courage to experiment and be a trailblazer in continuing to bring education to those who desire to add value to their lives by learning”.
Prof Cheong hopes that SUSS will remain steadfast in its mission of being a people’s University. He envisages that 2023 will be the year when SUSS will grow, with stronger Alumni-University relationships and a wave of fresh ideas under the new leadership. His exhortation to alumni is to rally around the new President by working hand in hand with the university to keep the spirit of SUSS burning bright.
We hear you, Prof Cheong. From our alumni community, we are deeply grateful to you for the support, encouragement, and well wishes to us and the university. We wish you good health, happiness, and fulfilment in the next chapter of your life and of course, time to smell the roses too. Happy Retirement!
