DUAL
The DUAL Development & Skillbase Initiative is one of two working committees under DUAL. DUAL is the Distinguished Universities Alumni League, an umbrella organization comprising members from the following 18 alumni clubs - Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Cornell University Hotels, Dartmouth College, INSEAD, Johns Hopkins, London Business School, London School of Economics, MIT, NUS MBA, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.
DUAL Development & Skillbase Initiative Mission
The DUAL Development & Skillbase ("DUAL DS") Initiative disseminates to members' alumni information in the public domain on skills-based volunteer opportunities in Singapore and the region. Its goal is to foster active citizenry among alumni to contribute skills towards development, entrepreneurism, and regional peace for the benefit of society, including to promote sustainable development in Asia's emerging markets and Singapore's position as a value added skills, emerging industries and entrepreneurial hub.
DUAL DS operates with the support of:-
1. The Distinguished Universities Alumni League (DUAL) and the President of DUAL Ms Ng Hau Yee.
2. The MIT Club of Singapore's IT for Development Initiative (MIT ITD) and the President of the MIT Club Mr Lim Eik.
3. The Harvard Club of Singapore's Volunteer program and the President of the Harvard Club BG (NS) Yam Ah Mee.
For more information contact DUAL DS chairperson Li Lin Goh
Email Lilingoh@ksg.harvard.edu
Objectives
1. Mobilize private sector resources, skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship to facilitate value added, market relevant and sustainable solutions in the development space. Raise awareness within the private sector of next generation entrepreneurial opportunities and innovative solutions in the emerging markets.
2. Foster broad civic and people to people ties and engagement between the developed and developing world to promote peace, understanding, and dialogue as a counterpoint to global tensions.
3. Foster private sector network and linkages of skills and resources from the developed to the developing world to contribute to sustainable development and integration and help bridge the economic divide and establish conditions for peaceful coexistence, mutual learning, and equitable development.
4. Offer alumni and volunteers networking opportunities, mutidisciplinary team resources, to develop skills in new capacities with potential commercial spinoffs.
5. Contribute to Singapre's drive to develop and integrate an international talent pool, cosmopolitan identity, skillsbased and information intensive industries.
Ideals
The institutions of higher learning represented in the DUAL network embody the aspirations and ideals of civilization, and help spearhead the progress of mankind. We, the graduates, carry the legacy not just of our skills, but also the hopes, collective aspirations, and goals of these schools - for development, for civilization - to actively engage the needs of our times.
The issues which the world and the region confront are ours - they are our responsibility and open to us the possibilities of realizing the fullness of our training and the rich horizons of our talents and of our lives. This is an opportunity for us to put our skills together and support one another's development. Our success will be measured in part by the degree to which we engage others to step into the gap, to become leaders, to take responsibility and collectively make a difference.
Initiative History & Timeline
DUAL DS was proposed and initiated by Li Lin Goh at a DUAL ExCo meeting attended by Executive Committee representatives of member clubs in 2002, approved at the meeting and recorded in the minutes in which she was mandated to spearhead and develop the initiative. The founding leaders, friends, and advisor who were key to shaping and mobilizing the initiative are listed in the section Members accessible from the website's top menu bar. The Initiative's main themes were discussed, agreed on, ratified and approved at subsequent DUAL, DUAL DS meetings through 2002 and progressively implemented.
In addition to the initiatives above, DUAL DS is currently engaged in 2 new primary initiatives proposed by Mike Morris (Brown) and Chee We Ng (MIT). Mike's proposal for an online Content Management System (DUAL DS CMS) will serve as a repository of presentations from DUAL alumni in their areas of expertise. This will form a scaleable and globally accessible means of knowledge and skills transfer from the alumni in the DUAL clubs to the people and societies of the developing world in the interest of fostering development for global peace and constructive progress of the civilizations. DUAL DS is grateful for the contribution of friends from the Indian Institute of Technology Abinash, Saurabh, and Akshey for their excellent input into the CMS engine and Kang Wei Woo (Cornell) to make DUAL DS CMS possible.
Chee We's proposal is for Development Project Competitions in schools to have students engage in creative thinking and collaborations on investments and projects which will develop Singapore's external enterprise and contribute to the economies of developing regions. This is in conjunction with Dr Soh Pek Hooi's (MIT) course at the National University of Singapore on Managing Innovation and we thank Pek Hooi for her support.
Representative Projects
1. Helping scope a proposal for an IT backbone for an emergency response system in an Asian country.
2. Contributing to E. Timor's humanitarian reconstruction in collaboration with an international NGO.
3. Assisting Asian communities and educational institutions in capacity and curriculum building in IT, business, finance, and business best practice in the hope that graduates will carry skills to local communities to catalyze enterprise and development.