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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria University College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 21, No. 7. June 11, 1958

Nanyang University

Nanyang University

For more than three hundred years the Chinese people in Malaya have established their own primary and secondary schools to educate their children. But there was no higher education institution of their own. In January, 1953, Tan Lark Sye, a prominent overseas Chinese in Malaya and a Singapore rubber magnate, declared his plan of establishing a Chinese university to meet this need. His plan was at once warmly supported by overseas Chinese in all parts of southeast Asia, especially in Singapore, the Federation of Malaya and the British colonies in North Borneo.

A committee was organised to realise his plan with Mr Tan as chairman. The new institution was to be named Nanyang University. Its basic principles are to endeavour to embody both Oriental and Occidental cultures for betterment of world-wide relationships and to help develop a new Malayan culture from the Chinese, the English, the Malay and the Indian cultures. It aims at providing an opportunity for the youth of Malaya to receive higher education and to train teachers for high schools, specialists and technical experts and new leaders for Malaya and Singapore.

In 1953 Nanyang University was incorporated and registered with the Government of Singapore and with the Government of the Federation of Malaya. Funds for the establishment of the new university began to pour in from all levels of the Chinese people in Singapore and the Federation of Malaya. Millionaires, bankers, estate owners, merchants, teachers, students, workers, artists, taxi-drivers, trishaw coolies and others all sent in contributions.

Five hundred and twenty acres of land, consisting of beautiful hills and level land, were donated as the site of the new university. Four main buildings, the College of Arts, the College of Science, the College of Commerce, and the Library, were soon erected. Besides these, there are Seventeen two-storeyed and three-storeyed hostels, four two-storeyed residences for deans of faculties, and 14 residential bungalows for professors, which are completed and now in use, and four more big three-storeyed apartment buildings containing over 70 flats for professors and staff members are expected to be completed soon.

The University Library is the most attractive building on the campus. It is a four-storeyed Chinese-styled building topped by a beautiful pagoda-like structure. The green-tiled roof and red walls are characteristic of Chinese architecture. Large funds have been used for the purchase of books. According to the Library's annual report, 800,000 volumes were purchased for the initial year.

Initial classes began in 1956. Five hundred and eighty-four students were registered in the 11 departments for the opening year.

The University consists of three Colleges in its initial stage: the College of Arts, the College of Science, and the College of Commerce. There are five departments in the College of Arts—the Departments of Chinese Language and Literature, History and Geography, Education, Modern Languages, and Economics and Political Science— the Departments of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, and two departments in the College of Commerce—the Departments of Accounting and Banking, and Industrial and Commercial Management. The total enrollment is now 900 students, taught by a staff of 67 faculty members.

—Contributed to "Student Mirror" by "The Asian Student," San Francisco.

Drawing of mountain climber