Almost every week, members of Tembusu College are invited to meet and chat with guests - both local and international - through a variety of hosted events. There is a huge diversity of backgrounds amongst our visitors, who range from politicians to diplomats, artists, writers, poets, and academics. Select an event category on the left to find out more.
Our events and members of our community are also frequently featured by the Press and Media. Visit the Newsroom to read the reports.
Tembusu College’s motto The Home of Possibilities, means we value the development of each individual according to her or his own path through life. At the same time we are a learning community, which seeks to give students an intense experience in a nurturing environment. The college administers (and awards certificates for) the prestigious University Town College Programme (UTCP), which augments students’ regular degree programmes by emphasising breadth, critical thinking, and exposure to inter-disciplinary thinking. Our curriculum includes both seminars and out-of-classroom learning experiences.
The college is not themed. Diversity is an important part of our ethos, and we offer learning opportunities across a broad spectrum of interests. We do, however, have particular areas of strength, which are reflected in the backgrounds of our faculty.
As a Residential College, residents of Tembusu College live and learn together with their peers under the same roof. Integral to the learning is the University Town College Programme (UTCP) where residents read five Seminar-style Modules over their two year residency. Find out more About the Programme or browse available modules on the left.
Concerned about the workload? Find out How UTCP Fits with your faculty-based degree programme at NUS.
Living and learning together at Tembusu happens as part of our 'Out-of-Classroom Teaching' programme.
Keen to continue residing at the college after completing the UTCP? Find out what lies ahead in the Senior Learning Experience.
A home away from home, the Tembusu College community is 21 storeys of collegiate spirit known for its friendly and welcoming culture.
Wake up or wind down through casual conversations with your Fellows and peers over meals at the Dining Hall. Sweat it out over sports at the Multi Purpose Hall. Huddle with like-minded individuals at one of the many Student-run Interest Groups & Student-Initiated Projects or start your own. Let loose or let your creativity flow in the well furnished Student Spaces. Be our Student Partners and contribute to the College community.
Need career advice? Stressed? Need help on personal issues? Or simply want catch up with friendly members of our Residential Team? We're here for you.
Tembusu College is much more than a home; it's a Home of Possibilities.
Of Music, Community Service and, Internet Fiction
Song Yu Chuan is a freshman Architecture student at Tembusu College. He is a singer-songwriter and member of the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS). In 2008 he won Best Composition and Best Performance at the National Inter-JC Chinese Songwriting Competition. In 2010 he officially entered the music industry through a long-term songwriter contract with VI Music, under Warner Chappell Music. Since then, Yu Chuan has been actively involved in the local mandopop music scene and has been featured on Playlist. Yu Chuan firmly believes that good music and good performers do not seek to impress others, but to express themselves.
Yeshey Choden is a freshman Civil Engineering student at Tembusu College. She was raised and taught in an authentic Bhutanese environment where she learnt about Buddhism and own her culture and tradition. Two distinct features of the Bhutanese are their dedication and loyalty to the King and the government and their pursuit of a unique path of development: Gross National Happiness. In 2011 Yeshey came to Singapore to pursue her tertiary education through the King's Scholarship. Since being in Singapore Yeshey has developed particular interests in social work and community service.
Cedric Chin (ejames) is a senior Computing student at Tembusu College. He works on web-based books. In 2006 he started Novelr.com, a site devoted to Internet fiction and in 2008 he helped create the Web Fiction Guide. His latest venture, founded in 2010, is Pandamian.com, an online publishing service. He was the youngest speaker at the Books in Browsers conference in San Francisco in 2010 and 2011, and currently contributes to the OPDS and Readium working groups. Cedric is a member of the Reading2.0 mailing list, an invitation-only listserv of book technologists maintained by Peter Brantley, founder of the Open Book Foundation.
The Tembusu (Fagraea fragrans) is a large evergreen tree in the family Gentianaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia. Its trunk is dark brown, with deeply fissured bark, looking somewhat like a bittergourd. It grows in an irregular shape from 10 to 25m high. Its leaves are light green and oval in shape. Its yellowish flowers have a distinct fragrance and the fruits of the tree are bitter tasting red berries, which are eaten by birds and fruit bats.
