1 July 2019 – Ho Bee Land Limited has made endowed gifts totalling $3.25 million to the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). These are the first gifts that SIT has received for its future campus in Punggol. In recognition of Ho Bee Land’s generous philanthropic commitment, SIT will name the auditorium at its future campus in Punggol (as well as its interim campus in SIT@Dover) the Ho Bee Auditorium. Located in a standalone noteworthy building by the waterfront, the Ho Bee Auditorium at Punggol will be used as teaching facility for the students, with function areas that enjoy unobstructed views of Serangoon Reservoir and Coney Island.
Together with the Government Matching Grants, Ho Bee Land’s philanthropic commitment will also support the Ho Bee Scholarship at SIT to nurture academically promising undergraduates from nine degree programmes (ranging from Engineering to Information and Communications Technology to Interior Design).
The naming ceremony for the Ho Bee Auditorium took place today at SIT@Dover, attended by Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ho Bee Land Limited, and Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education, who was the Guest of Honour.
Mr Chua Thian Poh (3rd from left), Chairman & CEO, Ho Bee Land, and Mr Ong Ye Kung (3rd from right), Minister for Education, unveiling the Ho Bee Auditorium at SIT@Dover. Looking on (from left to right) were Ms Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower; Prof Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT; Mr Ng Yat Chung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SIT; and Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Social & Family Development.
Said Professor Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT, “On behalf of SIT, I wish to express our deepest appreciation to Ho Bee Land Limited and Mr Chua Thian Poh for this firm philanthropic commitment. Our young university is extremely honoured by this gift from Ho Bee Land. The Ho Bee Scholarship in particular, will make a huge difference to the lives of our undergraduates from a variety of programmes. This is truly a landmark gift for SIT as we plan for our future campus in Punggol.”
Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman and CEO of Ho Bee Land, said, “In my private capacity and as part of Ho Bee’s corporate social responsibility programme, we have been supporting various institutes of higher learning over the years. Our aim is to nurture leaders and professionals of tomorrow to drive the growth of Singapore and at the same time, improve the lives of the community.” He added that SIT’s approach to groom graduates to be “thinking tinkerers” and “catalysts for transformation” who are “grounded in the community to serve the general public” is one that resonates with Ho Bee. “We are delighted that SIT will be naming the new auditorium as Ho Bee Auditorium,” he also said. “The name Ho Bee, He Mei (和美) in Chinese, refers to the beauty of harmony. It is our hope that SIT will enjoy the beauty of harmony during the process of shifting to the new and permanent campus.”
Mr Ng Yat Chung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SIT presenting the token of appreciation to Mr Chua Thian Poh, Chairman & CEO, Ho Bee Land.
SIT’s campus in Punggol will be located in the upcoming Punggol Digital District, which is set to become a vibrant and inclusive district underpinned by cutting-edge technology. The campus will be co-located with JTC’s business park buildings and will facilitate the cross-fertilisation of knowledge and collaboration opportunities among students, faculty and industry.
About Singapore Institute of Technology
Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore’s university of applied learning. It aims to be a leader in innovative university education by integrating learning, industry and community as part of its unique pedagogy. Partnering world-class universities, SIT offers applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy. SIT also aims to cultivate in its students four distinctive traits, or the SIT-DNA, which will prepare them to be ‘thinking tinkerers’, who are ‘able to learn, unlearn and relearn’, be ‘catalysts for transformation’ and finally, become ‘grounded in the community’.
Established in 2009, SIT currently has six distributed campuses, with its main campus in SIT@Dover. SIT became an autonomous university in 2014 and is expected to move to its new centralised campus in Punggol in future. SIT’s Punggol campus will be part of the Punggol Digital District, and will feature the Campus Boulevard which will connect residents to the waterfront and Coney Island.
For more information, visit www.SingaporeTech.edu.sg
About Ho Bee Land
Ho Bee Land Limited was listed on the Mainboard of the Singapore Exchange in 1999. Headquartered in Singapore, Ho Bee also has property investments and developments in Australia, China and United Kingdom. The real estate development and investment company has a portfolio that covers many quality residential, commercial and high-tech industrial projects since its establishment in 1987.
In Singapore, apart from being the leading developer of luxury homes in the exclusive residential enclave of Sentosa Cove, its portfolio of investment properties includes the commercial landmark in the one-north precinct, The Metropolis. Other buildings in its portfolio of investment properties include 1 St Martin’s Le Grand, 60 St Martin’s Lane, 39 Victoria Street, 110 Park Street, Apollo & Lunar House, 67 Lombard Street and Ropemaker Place in London.
More information about the company can be found on the company’s website at www.hobee.com
