Is it better to be a Master Craftsman or a University Graduate?

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PROGRAMME:
6.50pm: All to be seated in Tembusu College Multi-purpose Hall
7.00pm: Assoc Prof Gregory Clancey, Master of Tembusu College, will introduce the Tembusu Forum
7.05pm: Prof Tommy Koh, Rector of Tembusu College, will introduce the topic and speakers
7.15pm: Prof Law Song Seng
7.30pm: Prof Vineeta Sinha
7.45pm: HE Dr Michael Witter
8.00pm: Question & Answer session with students
9.00pm: End of forum

Brief Biography of Speakers:

Professor Law Song Seng was the founding Director and Chief Executive Officer (1992–2007) of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore. Dubbed as “Mr ITE”, his visionary leadership and team have been instrumental in the transformation of ITE. Dr Law continues to share this remarkable Singapore story in vocational and technical education with the international community.

Prof Law previously served as Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam (2013-2014); Senior Advisor and Chairman & CEO of ITE Education Services Pte Ltd (2007–2012); Director & CEO of Vocational & Industrial Training Board (1981–1992); Lecturer, Associate Professor and Head of Industrial & Systems Engineering at the National University of Singapore (1973–1983); Visiting Lecturer at the University of Auckland, New Zealand (1980); Manufacturing Development Engineer with the Ford Motor Company in the United States (1972–1973); and Assistant Lecturer in the Singapore Polytechnic (1968–1973).

Author of the recently published book, A Breakthrough in Vocational and Technical Education: The Singapore Story (World Scientific, 2015), Prof Law is an Advisor to Temasek Foundation and a Member of the Education Sub-Commission in the Singapore National Commission for UNESCO.

A Colombo Plan Scholar, he graduated with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering from University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1968, and MSc (1971) and PhD (1972) from University of Wisconsin, USA, under a Ford Foundation Scholarship. He is the recipient of several awards: The National Day Public Administration Medal (Gold)(1984), Education Award (1994) by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry Singapore Foundation, Center on Education and Training (1997) Distinguished Service Award, Ohio State University, USA, Medal of Commendation (2001) by National Trades Union Congress and Public Administration Medal (Gold)(Bar)(2006) in recognition of his national and international contributions in vocational and technical education.

For the forum, Prof Law will share how the “breakthrough” in ITE has helped to make vocational and technical education a more attractive and socially accepted pathway in our educational system.

Professor Vineeta Sinha is currently Head of Department at the South Asian Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore, and is also with the Department of Sociology. She is the Co-Editor of the Asian Journal of Social Science and the Brill Monograph Series, Social Sciences in Asia, and an elected Executive Committee Member of the International Sociological Association.

Prof Sinha has written comprehensively on Hindu religiosity in the diaspora, with particular emphasis on Singapore and Malaysia. More recently, herwork has focused on exploring forms of Hindu religiosity in the diaspora, the intersections of religion and commodification processes, the interface of religion and materiality to making sense of religion-state relations. Prof Sinha’spublications include: A New God in the Diaspora? Muneeswaran Worship in Contemporary Singapore (Singapore University Press & Nordic Institute of Asian Studies 2005), Religion and Commodification: Merchandising Diasporic Hinduism (Routledge, 2011) and Religion State Encounters in Hindu Domains: From the Straits Settlements to Singapore (Springer, 2011).

Prof Sinhaobtained her M.Soc. Sci from the National University of Singapore and an M.A and Ph.D in Anthropology from the Johns Hopkins University. For the forum, she will speak in favour of a university education.

HE Dr Michael Witter

TBC

For the forum, Ambassador Witter will share with us Germany’s experience in vocational and academic education.

Master’s Tea with Mr Maurizio Martinucci

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Tembusu College Master’s Tea

Mr Maurizio Marinucci

3pm, Thursday

12th February, 2015

Master’s Common Lounge

Level 3, Residential Block

Refreshments will be served.

Please be seated by 2.50pm

Please sign up at dev-tembusu-nus.pantheonsite.io

TeZ (aka Maurizio Martinucci) is an Italian interdisciplinary artist ad independent researcher living and working in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He has been running the ‘Optofonica’ platform and lab for Synesthetic ArtScience in Amsterdam since 2006.

TeZ’s works explore the boundaries between human perception and all physical phenomena associated with vibrations. He crafts custom instruments for sound and light propagation, as well as for specific architectural structures where subtle oscillations can reach the body and stimulate meditative and immersive experiences. TeZ’s holistic paradigm aims at encompassing many of the disciplines related to art and science, together with ecology and mindfulness. He has regularly shown his works and given lectures at both academic and artistic contexts, including as a guest lecturer at the ArtScience Interfaculty in Den Haag and other art and technology institutes. His installations and performances have also been featured at major venues and festivals worldwide.

Currently, TeZ is a resident-artist at Tembusu College as part of the 2015 Art/Science Residency programme, inpartnership with ArtScience Museum and IDMI, NUS. For more information on TeZ and his works, see: http://www.tez.it/info.html

photos taken may be used for Tembusu publicity materials

Student’s Tea with Ms Bertha Henson

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Tembusu College Student’s Tea with Ms Bertha Henson

7:30pm, Wednesday

25th February 2015

Common Lounge

Sign up at dev-tembusu-nus.pantheonsite.io

About Ms. Bertha Henson

Old habits die hard. Leaving the Singapore Press Holdings after 26 years of wide-raging newsroom work spanning lifestyle, politics, art and photography, Bertha Henson now runs her own media training company, and a socio-political commentary blog, Bertha Harian. She is Journalist-in-residence at Tembusu College, does a seminar series on Good Journalism and Critical Reading.

Highlights

Bertha Shares her take on recent socio-political rumblings that may surfaces as key arenas for contestation in the upcoming General Elections:

– SG50 and official narratives

-Liquor restrictions

-The Central Provident Fund

Selected books at special discount for the session

-Troublemaker, a collection of Bertha’s socio-political commentaries on the Breakfast Networt (S$25 net; usual S$28.89 with GST)

-Priest in Geylang, presented as an alternative account to official narratives (S$20 net; usual S$21.40 with GST)

Riot Recollections, perspective-taking book that considers factors contributing to the outbreak of violence, occluded by the focus on alcohol curbs (S$20 net; usual S$23.79 with GST)

-Essay Booklet on CPF, “Are we adequately prepared for retirement?” (S$5 net)

Students Tea with Dr Effendy

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Tembusu College Student’s Tea

Dr. Mohamed Effendy

3pm, Wednesday

28th January 2015

Common Lounge

Only 30 Seats Available!

Register at the CSC Website!

More About Dr. Mohamed Effendy:

Dr. Mohamed Effendy is a Lecturer at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS).

He is the winner of several awards and prizes; the 2008 Daniel W.Y. Kwok Prize for Best Teaching Assistant Award in the History Department, University of Hawaii, the winner of the 2009 Daniel W.Y. Kwok Endowed Fund in History, the 2099 John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship in History, the 2010 (Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud) Bursary.

A passionate and animated lecturer, Dr. Mohamed Effendy has taught many interesting classes such as “Southeast Asia’s Cultural Mosaic”, “Death and Dying in Southeast Asia”, “Popular Culture in Southeast Asia” and his recently crafted and approved module: “Martial Arts in Southeast Asia”.

Highlights:

Come down and hear Dr. Mohamed Effendy share about Martial Arts in Southeast Asia, why he pursued this course of study and convince you to take the module he crafted, “Martial Arts in Southeast Asia”!

Fellow’s Tea with Master Guraku Akifusa

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Tembusu College Fellow’s Tea

Master Guraku Akifusa

3pm, Thursday

22nd January 2015

Master’s Common Lounge,

Level 3, Residential Block

Refreshments will be served.

Please be seated by 2.50pm.

Please register at: dev-tembusu-nus.pantheonsite.io

Hosted by Dr.Catelijne Coopmans

Guraku Akifusa was born in Tokyo, Japan. He began his training in Nihon buyo under his mother from the age of five. Nihon buyo refers to the traditional Japanese dance originating during the edo period, and which encompasses many other dance forms such a Noh and Kabuki. At the age of twenty-five, Akifusa received his Master title as Wakayagi ryu, and went on to develop his own style of Nihon buyo, which is now called Akifusa ryu. Currently, he holds classes in Osaka, Japan.

Come join us for a special demonstration by Master Akifusa to learn more about the Nihon buyo and its difference from other dance forms.

Photo taken may be used for Tembusu publicity materials

Intercollegiate Debates: 27 January – 12 February

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THE COMPETITION BEGINS!

The fourth annual University Town InterCollegiate Provost’s Challenge Shield will run over four evenings, starting at 8.40 p.m.: Tuesday 27th January, Tuesday 2nd February, Tuesday 9th February and Thursday 12th February.

Preliminary rounds will be held in the College Common Lounges. The venue for the final on 12th February will be released soon.

The theme for the first round was: School Problems: The Right to Build a Life.

Master’s Tea with Mr Louis Ng

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Tembusu College Master’s Tea

Mr Louis Ng

3pm, Thursday

29th January 2015

Master’s Common Lounge

Level 3, Residential Block

Refreshments will be served.

Please be seated by 2.50pm

Please sign up at dev-tembusu-nus.pantheonsite.io

Mr Louis Ng is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Animal Concerns & Research Society or ACRES. ACRES is a Singapore- based charity advocating for an end to animal cruelty in Asia and is also registered as an International NGO in Lao PDR and Australia. It has has six focus areas: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Tackling Wildlife Crime, Addressing Zoo Animal Welfare, Humane Education, Community Outreach and Promoting Cruelty-Free Living.

For his outstanding contribution in the field of environmental protection and nature conservation in Singapore, Louis was presented with the Advocate of the Year award in the inaugural Singapore Advocacy Awards in 2014. He was one of the nine awardees for the 2011 Yahoo! Singapore 9 Award to recognise nine Singaporeans who had really made a difference in that year. Louis also received The Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore Award in 2007 and the HSBC (Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited)/ NYAA (National Youth Achievement Award) Youth Environmental Award in 2002.

Louis received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the National University of Singapore and his Masters of Science in Primate Conservation from the Oxford Brookes University.

Photos taken may be used for Tembusu publicity materials

Student’s Workshop with Mr. Eric Tinsay Valles

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Tembusu College Student’s Workshop

Mr Eric Tinsay Valles

7:30pm, Wednesday

21st January 2015

Common Lounge

Only 15 Seats Available!

More About Mr. Valles:

Mr. Valles draws inspiration from all the places that has called home. His poetry has been features in & words, Reflecting on the Merlion, Ceriph, Southeast Asian Review of English, Routledge’s New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing and other journals. His critical essays have appeared in The Asiatic and Writing Diaspora.

Mr. Valles has been invited to read poetry or commentaries at Baylor, Melbourne and Oxford Universities. He has taken up writing residencies at the Vermont Studio Centre, Centrum (Washington) and Wellspring House (Massachusetts). He has won a Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing prize for poems that form the core of his second poetry collection. After the Fall (dirges among ruins). His previous poetry collection is World in Transit.

Highlights: The Poet’s Business: Putting everyday words in motion

Published poet Eric Tinsay Valles will explore the use of everyday language as a “malleable” material for poetry. Poetry weds concrete language (not necessarily highfaluting) to music in a way that sends everyday words bumping along. In the words of Theodore Roethke, “A small thing well done is better than a pretentious failure.” Fortunately, verse sense and an ear for rhythm are gifts that can be developed. Valles will give tips and conduct exercise that will enable the beginning writer to create poetry for everyday life.