The last two weeks have been a busy period of consultation with the University Scholars Programme (USP) and Yale-NUS College (Yale-NUS) communities on the proposed New College curriculum. This comes as my colleagues and I in the New College Curriculum Working Group make good progress with an interdisciplinary curriculum, infused with the best elements of the USP and Yale-NUS curricula, designed to empower New College students.

During these consultation sessions, a detailed draft curriculum proposal was shared with faculty, students and alumni. At the USP as well as Yale-NUS sessions, we listened to and discussed constructive feedback on the curriculum – its similarities and differences to existing offerings, its motivation, and how it will be supported, among other matters. We heard the enthusiasm, concern and pride of the communities for their existing programmes and their keen interest in helping to improve the offerings of the New College. Our working group is studying this feedback closely as we refine the curriculum. We hope to finalise the proposal in the coming weeks.

We also shared that some curriculum development teams, comprising faculty from USP and Yale-NUS, are already beginning their work of planning specific courses. Such development will intensify when the New College leadership is in place.

Student representatives (two each from USP and Yale-NUS) have been deeply involved in the New College curriculum working group from the beginning. Not only do they contribute their own thinking and personal experiences, they have also collected a copious amount of feedback from the wider community. The students from USP helped with the sample study plans that the working group drafted for various course combinations (e.g., New College + College of Design and Engineering, New College + College of Humanities and Sciences, etc.), drawing upon their knowledge of the challenges facing NUS students pursuing an honours curriculum over and above their main degree.

Many of these opinions have been incorporated into the new curricular model that is being built on the best features of both USP and Yale-NUS. We are thankful to the community for their generosity in sharing their thoughtful and constructive feedback, and we look forward to a final curriculum that does justice to their passion and efforts.