SMU, UO sign landmark sports management exchange program

SINGAPORE, 27 June 2014 – Singapore Management University (SMU) and the University of Oregon (UO) USA, have entered into a five-year agreement for an international student exchange programme that will enable students from both universities to learn from the academic and sporting cultures of the two countries.

The agreement was signed today by SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer and University of Oregon Vice President for University Advancement Michael Andreasen.

“This partnership offers a unique opportunity for the UO to further expand our student’s international learning experiences. Singapore is a growing and vibrant market where UO students will become even better prepared to thrive in the global economy,” said UO President Professor Michael Gottfredson.

Said Professor De Meyer, “This collaboration with the University of Oregon is significant because UO will offer our students added opportunities to take up specialised courses in sports management and marketing, which are a first for SMU students. Through this new partnership, we hope to offer our students opportunities to take up relevant subjects during their exchange so that they are able to differentiate themselves even more.”

The student exchange programme, which will commence in the Spring 2015 semester, will see SMU and UO send up to two exchange students to each other’s campus each academic year. Each exchange student will be able to receive credits at the host institution, accepted for credit towards a degree at the student’s university. The usual exchange period shall be for a term or academic year, based on mutual agreement.

“The US is the most mature sports business market in the world. Students will be able to tap into the expertise of Warsaw Centre faculty, study the best practices of this market and experience the sports culture at Oregon that is among the most vibrant in the US,” said Managing Director of the James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Centre, Paul Swangard. “We see SMU as a key partner in our sports business development efforts in Singapore. Having already successfully forged a long-term partnership with Sport Singapore, the Warsaw Centre is excited to bring a leading local educational institution into the mix.”

Students from SMU will benefit from the programmes offered under UO's Warsaw Sports Marketing Centre – a multidisciplinary curriculum that blends concepts in business, such as finance, marketing and leadership, with that of real-life sports practice. Housed within the university's Lundquist College of Business, the Warsaw Centre has produced graduates that have gone on to become sports industry leaders in organisations such as Adidas, Nike, ESPN, and the National Basketball Association. SMU students may even get to take up hands-on projects or internships with corporations across the country's vast sports sectors, such as Nike and ESPN.

UO students will get to explore the intersection between sports and diverse Asian perspectives in business and society. Through SMU's interdisciplinary programmes, UO students will consider sociocultural, psychological, economic, and political frames in the cultivation of sports and sportsmanship within the context of Singapore and Asia. While on exchange, the students will be encouraged to participate in SMU's wide range of sporting events.

“UO students that participate in this exchange programme will not just enjoy a study abroad opportunity, they will also be thrust into the synergies of the second most competitive economy on the planet,” said UO Vice President for University Advancement Michael Andreasen. “Singapore is a country to be experienced and what better way than to do it through an experiential, research driven process.”

Bernadette Toh, Director of SMU’s Office of Global Learning, believes that this partnership marks a significant milestone in the 13 years since SMU launched its student exchange progammes. “It reinforces a shared value that beyond a solid grounding in business and social sciences, practical insights from out-of-classroom lessons are equally valuable. This underpins our holistic style of education, and represents a move on SMU’s part to match our students’ career aspirations with overseas exchange experiences that build their capabilities.

“We have many students who have expressed interest in pursuing a career in the sports industry. With the recent opening of the Singapore Sports Hub, and the government’s continued investment in world-class sporting events and infrastructure, our graduates will be well-placed to contribute to national goals by combining the management and business rigour of SMU’s education with UO’s expertise in the fields of sports management and sports marketing. We hope to develop more such agreements to add to our students’ expertise in their careers of choice, in whatever industries they might be interested in,” added Ms Toh. “Sport Singapore believes in the value of partnerships and the tripartite relationship with SMU and UO creates tremendous potential to advance the capabilities and sensibilities of sports professionals. Sport Singapore has been collaborating with both SMU and UO in recent years and the signing of this agreement is an important milestone as the three organisations continue to leverage on each other’s professional strengths.

In addition to the learning opportunities from the universities, students on the exchange programme between SMU and UO can benefit from the exposure to national initiatives such as Vision 2030 and opportunities created by the presence of world-class events in Singapore such as the Women’s Tennis Association Finals,” said Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chief Executive Officer, Sport Singapore.

SMU aims to have 100% of its students experience some form of global exposure. In 2011 to 2012, it registered a 77% participation rate, which has since seen an increase to 84% for last year’s graduating cohort. At the same time, SMU has hosted
the largest number of international exchange students - 901 students from 175 university partners spanning 41 countries.

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For more information, please contact
For Singapore Management University:
Teo Chang Ching (Mr)
Assistant Director
Corporate Communications
DID: 6828 0451
Email: ccteo@smu.edu.sg
For University of Oregon:
Paul Swangard
Managing Director James H. Warsaw Sports Marketing Centre
541-346-3262
pswangar@uoregon.edu

 

About the Singapore Management University
A premier university in Asia, the Singapore Management University (SMU) is internationally recognised for its world-class research and distinguished teaching. Established in 2000, SMU’s mission is to generate leading edge research with global impact and produce broad-based, creative and entrepreneurial leaders for the knowledge-based economy. It is known for its interactive and technologically-enabled pedagogy of seminar-style teaching in small class sizes. Home to about 8,000 students, SMU comprises six schools: School of Accountancy, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, School of Economics, School of Information Systems, School of Law and School of Social Sciences, offering a wide range of bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degree programmes in various disciplines. With an emphasis on generating rigorous, high impact multi-disciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance, SMU faculty collaborate with leading international researchers and universities from USA, Europe, China and India as well as with partners in the business community and public sector through its research institutes and centres. SMU’s city campus is a state-of-the art facility located in the heart of downtown Singapore, fostering strategic linkages with the business and wider community. www.smu.edu.sg

 

About University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities. The UO has total enrollment of 24,548 students, with approximately 2,925 international students from 90 countries worldwide. The UO is a top-notch university known for its academic excellence, located in one of the most beautiful regions of the United States. Whether you study business, education, architecture, journalism, or any of the UO's nearly 270 comprehensive academic programmes, you'll find course work that stresses an international perspective and prepares students for living as global citizens.