S.Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS)
Introduction
The Institute of Defence
and Strategic Studies (IDSS) at Nanyang Technological
University (NTU) was established on 30 July 1996
by Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam, then Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister for Defence. On 1 January 2007,
ten years after its establishment, IDSS was formally inaugurated to become the S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies (RSIS). In the
new School, IDSS remains as a key component
Institute focusing on security research to serve
national needs while the School would take over
its teaching functions. (See Annex A for the
structure of the RSIS.)
Since its establishment,
the School has acquired the reputation as a leading
research and graduate teaching institution in
strategic and international affairs in the Asia-Pacific
region. RSIS will bring IDSS and NTU to the next
level besides enhancing Singapore’s standing
as a regional and international hub for higher
education and research.
IDSS’ new name also
serves to honour the contributions of the late
Mr. S. Rajaratnam who held various Cabinet appointments
until his retirement. He was also one of Singapore’s
founding fathers and well respected as a visionary
diplomat and strategic thinker.
Mission of the RSIS
The RSIS will:
a. Provide a rigorous professional graduate education with a strong practical
emphasis,
b. Conduct policy-relevant research in defence, national security, international
relations, strategic studies and diplomacy.
c. Build a global network of like-minded professional schools.
The RSIS will adopt the best practices of world-class US professional
Schools.
Programmes, Faculty
and Student Enrolment
Since its establishment, RSIS has experienced robust growth in numbers
and quality. When the first Master of Science Programme in Strategic
Studies was launched in 1998, there were only 10 students, all Singaporeans.
Currently, it has 3 PhD students and about 130 Masters students enrolled
in 3 Master of Science Programmes: Strategic Studies, International Relations,
and International Political Economy.
The student enrolment
has also diversified, with 60% from overseas.
65% are self-funded or funded by non-Singapore
Government sources. From 2000 to 2006, the number
of research programmes increased from
3 to 13, while overall staff strength grew from 28 to 90. RSIS presently
has 4 full Professors and 5 Associate Professors. RSIS aims to have at
least 12-15 full Professors or Associate Professors.
The School has been successful
in attracting top quality students including
many in important government positions. These
include promising Indonesian
military officers, Chinese diplomats and Vietnamese diplomats and military
officers. In the last Academic Year, Agus Yudhoyono, son of Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Loro Horta, son of the Timor Leste
Prime Minister; and Hekmat Karzai, cousin of Afghan President Hamid Karzai;
were Masters students studying at the School.
The School aims
to have a full-time enrolment of up to 12 PhD
students
and 160 students enrolled in five Master of Science
Programmes by 2010.
It will soon offer two new programmes: Master of Science in International
Studies and Master of Science in Defence Administration. It will also
continue to expand its executive and external teaching programmes.
Governance
The RSIS is an autonomous school within NTU. It will have a Board
of Governors comprising distinguished local and foreign representatives
from the Government, the business and academic communities, and practitioners
in diplomacy and national security affairs. The Dean of RSIS is presently also the Director of IDSS.
About
RSIS 
Since its establishment, RSIS has experienced robust growth in numbers
and quality. When the first Master of Science Programme in Strategic
Studies was launched in 1998, there were only 10 students, all Singaporeans.
Currently, it has 3 PhD students and about 130 Masters students enrolled
in 3 Master of Science Programmes: Strategic Studies, International Relations,
and International Political Economy. 
The student enrolment
has also diversified, with 60% from overseas.
65% are self-funded or funded by non-Singapore
Government sources. From 2000 to 2006, the number
of research programmes increased from
3 to 13, while overall staff strength grew from 28 to 90. RSIS presently
has 4 full Professors and 5 Associate Professors. RSIS aims to have at
least 12-15 full Professors or Associate Professors. 