Highlights from NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye’s Welcome Address at the DSFP Welcome Reception, 20 Aug 2025

At the Welcome Reception of the inaugural Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme (DSFP), NUS President Professor Tan Eng Chye reflected on how universities must evolve in a world of longer lifespans, demographic shifts and technological disruption.

“Traditionally, universities have been viewed as institutions that prepare young minds for the future of work,” he observed.

“Today, that role is evolving. We now serve as platforms for continuous renewal — not only of skills but of purpose.”

A bold reimagination of lifelong learning

With this framing, Professor Tan welcomed the 21 members of the pioneer DSFP cohort as “trailblazers” in a new kind of learning journey.

The DSFP, he noted, is not a return to school in the conventional sense, but “a chance to rediscover identity, rekindle aspirations, and redefine one’s contribution to society.”

Through curated modules spanning philosophy, health and longevity, and contemporary affairs, Candidates will gain fresh perspectives. Through impact projects and immersion experiences such as the ASEAN Impact trip to Cambodia’s Smiling Gecko, they will translate insight into action, and experience into service.

A community with purpose

Professor Tan stressed that the impact of the DSFP will extend well beyond the classroom. There is intrinsic value in the peer community being built, the projects initiated, and the collective voice it lends to the larger narrative of ageing, purpose and relevance.

The programme also aligns with NUS’s broader commitment to support lifelong learning across every stage of life — from mid-career reskilling, to executive education, and now post-career discovery.

Learning, leading and living fully

Closing his address, Professor Tan expressed confidence that the DSFP will spark not only renewed purpose but also meaningful friendships and collaborations.

“You are now part of a special community of trailblazers,” he told the Candidates.

“One that will set the tone for future cohorts and redefine what it means to learn, lead and live fully through all seasons of life.”