14 May 2017

Outgoing president of the Yale-NUS College, Professor Pericles Lewis, has said that having civil debates is part of what makes liberal-arts colleges such as Yale-NUS successful.

Keeping debates respectful was an attribute he admired about Singapore. “Our students are very good at having a debate but keeping the discourse civil,” he said.

Prof Lewis will return to Yale University in July as its deputy provost for international affairs and vice-president for global strategy. Historian Professor Tan Tai Yong will succeed him as the new president of Yale-NUS.

Prof Lewis noted that employers who have taken on Yale-NUS students for internships regard them as “a little more direct, and willing to contribute and make a statement” than the average student.

The Yale-NUS college’s inaugural graduation ceremony will be held on 29 May.