Teo Choo Soo directs the office of alumni relations at the National University of Singapore where an alumni body of 177,000 is expected to double during the next 10 years. On the heels of celebrating its centennial in 2005-06, NUS is busy building a new US$21 million alumni house, slated to open in 2008. An associate professor of dentistry at NUS, Teo Choo Soo earned his bachelor's degree in dentistry in Singapore, a master's degree at the University of London, and a diploma in Dental Public Health of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He served as chair for the March 2006 CASE Asia-Pacific conference in Singapore, which helped lay the groundwork for opening the CASE Asia-Pacific office. A member of the CASE Commission on Alumni Relations, he can be reached at oarhead@nus.edu.sg.

How did you go from being a professor of dentistry to directing a busy alumni relations office?

I have always been interested in the big-picture angle of higher education and how it complements my specialized training in dentistry. However, several experiences helped move me beyond my specialized narrow field.

While I was teaching, external relations came under my purview. And for years, I had been actively involved in a range of professional organizations, including the World Dental Federation and International College of Dentistry, which provided me with extensive global networking opportunities. I also enjoy golf, and as the NUS golf captain and convener, I have many occasions to meet numerous people outside my professional circle.

Though I am very familiar with the importance of relationship-building, I did not anticipate that I would eventually be in the "hot seat" of directing alumni relations. Here's how it happened: During an overseas golfing trip, NUS President Shih Choon Fong nonchalantly mentioned that he was looking for a new alumni relations director and wondered whether I was interested in applying. Given my interest in alumni and advancement, the invitation both delighted me and caught me by surprise. I was offered the position in 2002; joining the department has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling experiences of my university career.

What are some of the major goals of the NUS Alumni Office?

We have three areas of focus:

Building Bonds-For almost 100 years of its history, alumni engagement was not considered key to advancing the interests of the National University of Singapore. But that's all changed. In recent years, NUS has taken a quantum leap in building bonds with its 177,000 alumni in Singapore and across the globe. In 2003, a major restructuring separated alumni relations from fundraising. This allowed us to rethink and refocus how we engage with alumni, leading to new alumni services and increased activities.

Staying Connected-It is critically important to remain relevant to alumni needs and expectations. We began with an extensive review of all our programs, then we created a range of new or enhanced initiatives. They include the NUS Alumni Awards, AlumMAIL (a permanent e-mail service), monthly e-newsletters, a revamped AlumNET (alumni Web site), new overseas chapters, and the establishment of the interim alumni house, a precursor to the new Shaw Foundation Alumni House.

Staying Mission-Focused, Performance-Based, Outcome-Driven-Using a strategic management framework known as the Balanced Scorecard, we have moved from being primarily an administrative office to a customer-centered one. Using strategic directions and key performance indicators, we have compressed into five years a wide range of changes that would normally require 20 years to carry out.

Our major initiatives include:

NUS Centennial Program-In 2005-06, we led a major program to celebrate the university's centennial, and its success has forged a renewed sense of collegiality among NUS' students, staff, alumni and friends. We made alumni central in the smorgasbord of 100 events, celebrating NUS' global links, academic excellence, cultural vibrancy, sporting accomplishments and rich heritage.

E-Community-Leveraging the latest in information technology, we have made great strides in creating a vibrant global e-community. Our revamped alumni Web site connects to alumni through monthly e-newsletters, online forums, e-groups, business card directory and instant profile updating.

Global Impact-To enhance the global standing of NUS and to reach increasing numbers of our alumni working and living overseas, we believe it is essential to establish new overseas chapters. Since 2003, we've established six new overseas chapters for a total of 14 overseas chapters. We will be setting up new ones in the economically vibrant Asia-Pacific region during the next few years. At the same time, we plan to create additional online communities and collaborate with top foreign universities to better connect our alumni.

How does the building of a new alumni house fit into your vision of enhancing connections?

The mission "to serve, engage and enrich the lives of our alumni" underscores the Shaw Foundation Alumni House. The "home on campus" is a symbol of the university's firm commitment to alumni and friends. Seeing this become a reality will mesh perfectly with our strategic goals: to build bonds, connect globally; promote lifelong learning; strengthen heritage; and accord recognition.

The alumni house will make it possible for the NUS community of alumni, staff, students and benefactors to gather for bonding, networking and partnerships. It will also provide a venue for talks and seminars.

The five-story building will house a state-of-the-art conference center with a wireless network and information center as well as a 300-seat auditorium. It will bring people together in outdoor terraces and indoor lounges, an alumni services center and a business center. It will serve as a hub where alumni can enjoy interactive visual, audio and social activities.

This article is from the November 2007 issue of BriefCASE.
Please share your questions and comments with Pam Russell via e-mail at russell@case.org or by telephone at +1-202-478-5680.