By Yeo Pin Pin, Head, Research Services
When did community service start in SMU? If you had to guess, when would it be?
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
When the Library was asked to verify the date, we looked at the SMU press releases and found: Singapore Management University Undergraduates do Community Service as part of Curriculum dated February 2001. The Straits Times published an article dated 22 February 2001 "80 volunteer-hours for SMU students" which reported that SMU undergraduates have to complete 80 hours of community service as part of their curriculum. This requirement was the first among tertiary institutions in Singapore. SMU was working with the National Volunteer Centre to introduce students to the organisations which they could contribute.
The Centre for Social Responsibility (C4SR) checked with the staff who were working at SMU at the time. They recalled that community service was a part of the graduating requirements. They even found the "BBM Programme Student Handbook 2000-01" by SMU School of Business, which was made available to the first batch of students, where it was stated that:
2-week Attachment at a Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO)
You can start the VWO attachment anytime after completing two terms during the course of study. You can opt to be attached to more than one VWO. The work involved has to be a full-day affair to be counted as fulfilling the requirement. Students must submit an overall report to the School on the scope of work and time spent in each VWO during the attachment.
The SMU staff consulted recalled students starting their community service just after one term at SMU. Interestingly, the handbook referred to it as "attachment at a Voluntary Welfare Organisation", and not community service.
We have photographs of our pioneer batch of students doing community service in SMUseum.
See: https://smuseum.smu.edu.sg/view/467/; https://smuseum.smu.edu.sg/view/469/ (another photo with close up of students);
At the 2025 State of the University Address on 19 September, there was a display of SMU's key milestones. One of the panels showed 2000 as the year SMU introduced community service as a graduation requirement, and the first university in Singapore to do so.
Explore more photographs in SMUseum https://smuseum.smu.edu.sg/ where we have collections for:
- Convocation & Academic Year Opening https://smuseum.smu.edu.sg/browse/collection/113
- Open House https://smuseum.smu.edu.sg/browse/collection/114
