NTU remembers late president S R Nathan

By Prisca Lim, Gowri Somasundaram

The University commemorated Mr S R Nathan’s passing with a condolence book signing on 25 Aug at the North Spine Plaza. PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

WHILE the nation mourns the late Mr S R Nathan as its sixth and longest-serving president, NTU remembers him as a man who highly valued education.

Mr Nathan’s passing on 22 Aug hit especially close to home for the University.

The late former president was the founding Director of NTU’s Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies — now called the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).

“Mr Nathan put in place certain key principles that have guided us all these years, and is still very much a foundation for RSIS today,” said RSIS Dean Joseph Liow.

“Right now, it is a period of mourning and reflection for the faculty,” he added.

Several days before Mr Nathan suffered a stroke and went into a coma, some RSIS faculty members had a private lunch with him.

They also received handwritten letters from him after the meal, Dr Liow said.

To honour the late president, RSIS has been publishing a series of essays about Mr Nathan’s contributions in its faculty publication, RSIS Commentary.

In addition, the faculty plans to come up with a more lasting way to remember and honour their mentor in the weeks and months to come, said Dr Liow.

NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson also paid tribute to Mr Nathan in an email sent to faculty and students the day after the former president’s passing.

He described the former president as someone who had “always been intimately involved in NTU’s development”.

Two weeks ago, the University also held a condolence book signing at the North Spine Plaza for students and staff to pen down their final thoughts for Mr Nathan.

It was an opportunity that many students appreciated.

One student who penned a tribute was second-year School of Computer Science and Engineering student Cherrie Chong, 20.

She said that she only became aware of Mr Nathan’s many contributions to Singapore after his passing, and that writing a last message of thanks was the least she could do for the late president.

Another student, Sufianto Goh, 24, said that honouring the late president was a must for him.

The final-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering said: “He (Mr Nathan) was an honourable man who did a lot for Singapore.

“Having such a tribute event is not an issue of importance, it is more of a necessity.”