17 December 2024
Residential College 4 Celebrates 10 Years with Launch of Bursary Fund
The year-long anniversary celebrations culminated in the RC4 Gala Dinner on 7 December 2024, attended by over 400 guests.
Celebrating RC4’s 10th anniversary with a cake cutting ceremony with Founding Master Assoc. Prof. Lakshminarayanan Samavedham (second from left), RC4 Master Assoc. Prof. Peter Pang (centre) and RC4 Founding Rector Prof. Choo Chiau Beng (second from right), alongside RC4 student leaders, faculty, and staff.
This year marks a significant milestone for Residential College 4 (RC4) as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, RC4 has established itself as a vibrant community centred on systems thinking, community engagement, and entrepreneurial innovation. The highlight of the celebrations was the launch of the RC4 Bursary Fund, a pivotal step in supporting future generations of students facing financial challenges.
RC4 GALA DINNER AND BURSARY FUND LAUNCH
The year-long anniversary celebrations culminated in the RC4 Gala Dinner on 7 December 2024, attended by over 400 guests, including students, alumni, parents, faculty, staff, community partners, and invited guests to celebrate the past decade’s achievements and the bright future ahead.
During the dinner, RC4 College Master Associate Professor Peter Pang announced the launch of the fundraising campaign for the RC4 Bursary Fund. The RC4 Bursary Fund will provide students with the resources they need to focus on their academic and personal growth at the College, including embarking on global learning opportunities.
Guided by the NUS Alumni Student Advancement Committee, RC4 has successfully raised over $250,000 so far. This amount includes generous contributions from students, alumni, past and present faculty and staff, and friends of RC4.
“Our closest friends and fondest memories in university are from RC4,” shared Zitin Bali, a Year 4 Data Science student. “There are some opportunities in RC life, like STEER (Study Trips for Engagement and Enrichment), that are not accessible to all students. It would be great if we could help others have the same enriching experiences that we have had at RC4.”
The launch ceremony was officiated by RC4 Founding Rector Professor Choo Chiau Beng, Founding Master Associate Professor Lakshminarayanan Samavedham, senior NUS alumni leaders Mr Seah Cheng San (Engineering ’82, MBA ’92), Mr Chua Hung Meng (Business ’81) and Mr Yeo Keng Joon (MBA ’85), in addition to RC4 Master Prof Pang, Chair of the 10th Anniversary Celebrations Planning Committee and RC4 Director of Student Life Dr Naviyn Prabhu Balakrishnan (Engineering PhD ’14), and alumni Ms Val Guo Liyun (Arts & Social Sciences ’24) and Mr Toh Chin Howe (Arts & Social Sciences ’22).
“As we celebrate our achievements of the past 10 years, we also look forward to the next 10 years and beyond. Today, we pledge that in the next 10 years, RC4 will offer even better living-and-learning programmes that will even better prepare our graduates to be effective leaders of change in a complex world,” Prof Pang shared, emphasising the significance of the new bursary fund and its impact. “We pledge to enable all RC4 students to participate fully in these living-learning programmes. With the launch of the RC4 bursary, today we are taking the first step towards this pledge.”
The evening also treated guests to a medley of live entertainment, with performances by RC4 student bands “The Unemployed”, “Black Sheep” and “Your Mom’s Favourite Band”, who recently placed second runner up in NUS Supernova’s The Rising Star category. RC4 alumnus Ian Tan (Arts & Social Sciences ‘20) returned to captivate his former college mates with a magic show. To mark RC4’s 10th anniversary, the college’s home-grown talents Navin Ong Kumar (Year 4, Physics), Sherwin Lam (Year 3, Economics) and Nicole Liu (Year 2, Economics & Data Science) wrote and performed the original song “Where We Call Home”, capturing the unique experience of living in RC4.
Your Mom’s Favourite Band performing at RC4’s 10th
Anniversary Gala Dinner.
A video montage featuring interviews with students, alumni, and past and current faculty members showcased the community's growth and transformation over the past decade. In the heartwarming video, President of the 4th RC4 College Students’ Committee Tricia Tan (Science '21) shared, “I can’t imagine my life without the people that I’ve met at RC4, and I’m so proud of how the College has become a beacon of friendship and camaraderie to its students.”
A DECADE OF SMALL SYSTEMS, BIG HEARTS
Since its inception in 2014 with a pilot batch of just 60 students, RC4 has now grown to accommodate 600 students, fostering an environment of self-discovery and personal growth that breeds numerous student achievements from the performing arts to research publications, start-ups and community projects.
The motto “Small Systems, Big Hearts” has played a pivotal role in RC4's living and learning programmes over the past decade. This approach has led to the focus on complex problems in the real world. RC4 students adopt the systems thinking approach as they address intricately interconnected community issues and conceive innovations that fulfil societal needs. From the intellectual prowess in systems thinking to its application in community engagement and entrepreneurial innovation, RC4’s journal has stuck to this guiding motto, and exemplifies its founding value proposition of a reinforcing living and learning symbiosis.
RC4 College Master Associate Professor Peter Pang reflects on this journey, “As the College reaches its 10th anniversary milestone, I hope that our students will continue to go out and make a positive difference in the world by virtue of their intellectual acumen and big hearts.”
RC4 fellow Associate Professor Chng Huang Hoon (Arts & Social Sciences ’87, MA ’89), who was involved since the initial planning of the University Town College Programme curriculum, echoes this sentiment: “I will never cease to marvel at how much RC4 has grown – from being the relatively unknown college to the college of choice among today’s prospective students. Notable alumni such as Vilota co-founders, Low Yin Yi (Science ‘19), Lexdan Lim (Engineering '18), and Cheng Huimin (Engineering '18) are already living the spirit of the College's ‘Small Systems, Big Hearts’ motto, making their impact in the Singapore community and beyond.”
The startup, Vilota, originated from their time in the RC4 interest group, RC4 Space, and their drone-building experience at the College. “One thing we remember most about RC4 is how it functioned much like an incubator – a safe environment, providing optimal conditions for interaction, exploration, development and growth,” shared Huimin.
10 YEARS OF RC4 AND BEYOND
As RC4 concludes the year-long celebrations, the college looks forward to continuing its journey of growth and innovation, fostering a vibrant community that is dedicated to making a difference.
“The past year of RC4’s 10th anniversary celebrations have been a wonderful opportunity for residents, alumni, faculty, and staff to come together, reflect on our journey, and look forward to the exciting possibilities for the future,” said Teo Jia Xin, a Year 3 Engineering student who was part of the Gala Dinner planning committee. “To me, RC4 is a home away from home. It’s where I have met incredibly talented friends, built lasting relationships, and created countless cherished memories.”
Guests enjoying the performances by RC4 students during the 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner.