Alumni welcome the setting up of NTU Alumni Association (Henan) and are looking forward to fostering closer ties with their alma mater. 

NTU made inroads into Henan, an inland province of China, with the setting up of its international alumni chapter there, at the close of the year.

The NTU Alumni Association (Henan) was launched by NTU President Dr Su Guaning. He flew in all the way from Singapore to the capital city of Zhengzhou, which is a distance of almost 4,000 km.

It was Dr Su’s first visit to Henan. More than 120 alumni and guests, including Mr Wang Yajun, Deputy Director, Training Centre for Senior Managing Personnel, Henan, came to greet the president.

Dr Su was accompanied by NTU's Mr Chew Kheng Chuan, Chief University Advancement Officer; Assoc Prof Wu Wei, Director of the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration and Office of China Affairs; and Mr Soon Min Yam, Director of Alumni Affairs. 
   
Call of duty
Distance seems to have made the heart grow fonder for Mr Shi Xiangang (Class of 2006, EMBA), President of NTU Alumni Association (Henan).

Mr Shi often reminisces about the time spent at the Yunnan Garden campus. Sharing through his address at the launch, he said: “NTU was the cradle of our growth and the starting point of the miles of journey we would be embarking after our graduation. Now even though we are far away, our alma mater will forever remain close in our hearts.”

Indeed, Mr Shi and the rest in Henan had been looking forward to the chapter for quite some time, spurred on as they were by NTU’s Alumni Affairs Office (AAO). They had received a call six months ago from its director, Mr Soon, and it had been a flurry of preparatory activities ever since.

Excited to have responded to the clarion call, Mr Shi has made plans for reconnecting with NTU in service of fellow alumni.

For starters, alumni were treated to a forum on “Regional Economic Development and Rise of Henan”, organised in conjunction with AAO. It saw the sharing by forum host Dr Liu Yunhua, Deputy Director, Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, NTU. Those who participated found Dr Liu motivational.

The launch-cum-forum was held on 20 November at Sofitel Zhengzhou International Hotel.

On the same day, Dr Su also met with Vice Governor Xu Jichao. Both men discussed further collaboration, with Dr Su sharing his hope for NTU to work with the historically rich province on talent training, academic exchange, Research & Development, and the commercialisation of research findings.

The NTU Alumni Association (Henan) was the first of three China chapters launched in the month; the other two were in Sha’anxi and Guangxi. 

© Alumni Affairs Office