Not clear where the gallows is, from this plan. Or the whipping post.

More to the point, President Levin's speech yesterday in Singapore said nothing about academic freedom, unfettered pursuit of the truth, etc. No kind of challenge,even subtle, to Singapore authorities to live up to this gift or mission that Yale has bestowed on them. Just this most banal line -- "Just as Singapore Airlines now sets the standard for air travel worldwide, Yale-NUS College aspirs to set a standard for undergradate education throughout Asia."

Dreadful stuff.

Eric Weinberger '89

• Posted by weinberger3 on April 12, 2011 at 8:03 a.m.
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Yale is actively colluding with and giving legitimacy to a repressive government that silences free speech, criminalizes homosexuality, mandates the death penalty for drug violations (and has the highest execution rate in the world), and so on. All in the name of a "distinctly new liberal arts curriculum."

Levin has presided over Yale's transformation from a traditional liberal arts college to an international for-profit university.

Compare the mission statements of various U.S. universities aboard.

NYU Abu Dhabi:

NYU's agreement with the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to create NYU Abu Dhabi is the outcome of a shared understanding of the essential roles and challenges of higher education in the 21st century: a common belief in the value of a liberal arts education, concurrence on the benefits a research university brings to the society that sustains it, a conviction that interaction with new ideas and people who are different is valuable and necessary, and a commitment to educating students who are true citizens of the world.

Dartmouth College American University of Kuwait:

The American University of Kuwait is committed to creating an enlightened and progressive educational culture in which all students, faculty and staff, regardless of nationality, creed, or position, will co-exist and help create a dynamic and equitable environment. All members of AUK are expected to respect the diverse nature of the AUK community and interact in a manner that is respectful of such, and that supports a commitment to life-long learning and the pursuit of academic excellence in higher education. The University encourages the freedom to engage in academic inquiry, and the fair exchange of ideas, and as such supports open access to and dissemination of information. The University founders uphold the philosophy that one cannot create a true enlightened academic environment without practicing the very virtues and ideals it hopes to instill in its students.

Then we have Yale-NUS:

The collaboration between NUS and Yale is a landmark partnership to create a new model of undergraduate education for Asia. In the fast-changing world of the 21st century, leaders need an education that offers both breadth of learning and depth of understanding. Yale-NUS College will draw on the best elements of liberal arts education from the traditions in the United States, but re-shape and re-imagine the curriculum and collegiate experience for Asia.

It's like the difference between an academic and a corporate mission statement.

• Posted by graduate_student on April 12, 2011 at 11:53 a.m.
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good information graduate student. Thanks.

Regarding the NUS - since it looks like there's no turning back - I'm just going to pretend it doesn't exist.

• Posted by Goldie08 on April 12, 2011 at 1:50 p.m.
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Infiltrate and subvert (with the Orient's lust for the Occidental Yale prestige)

• Posted by The Anti-Yale on April 12, 2011 at 2:08 p.m.
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Excellent stuff @graduate_student, thanks for highlighting that comparison.

On a more practical note... what's up with these designs? The print version of the YDN had more pictures, including those which showed what looked like quite tasteful gardens surrounded by bland, almost windowless buildings. I could (possibly) swallow the notions of vertical high rise entryways and "sky gardens," but some of the libraries and dining halls seems really drab...

Where's the typical Yale attention to LEED-type certification, if Singapore is footing the bill? More importantly, what kind of ridiculous statement is it to call these "a hybrid look that is distinctly Yale-NUS" ...? The only real Yale elements seem to be quadrangles, dining halls, libraries... which are common to quite a few places outside New Haven, too.

• Posted by sabj on April 12, 2011 at 4:52 p.m.
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I've been to Singapore and let me tell you, homosexuality is alive and well there.