RV10: Celebrating 10 years of Living and Learning on the Ridge
Image credit: Joey Kwok
The Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) marks its 10th anniversary in 2024, with a nod to its forward-looking mission of fostering sustainability education and workplace readiness in young adults since 2014. RV10 celebrates how learning at the college transcends the confines of the classroom and the immediacy of the present, towards a contribution to the future of our society and the environment.
The RV10 milestone highlights how the RVRC Programme has gradually evolved over the last decade to encourage our students to tackle complex issues by acquiring diverse capabilities, participating in meaningful growth opportunities, and driving the implementation of novel ideas during and beyond their time in the College. In particular, it features how the RVRC living-learning experience strives to enable students to build a shared future that is more sustainable and equitable for all.
Beyond learning, RV10 celebrates how students see RVRC as a ‘home away from home’- a tight-knit and caring community in which they belong. The vibrant and enriching living-and-learning environment of RVRC enables students to develop both academically and personally.
Lastly, RV10 showcases the indomitable RVRC kampung spirit that has strongly developed in the last decade through living and learning together as a College.
RV10 celebrations will span across the year in 2024 and feature a range of meaningful college activities organised by staff and students, providing an avenue for current students, alumni, and staff to (re)connect and forge deeper ties with the college community.
RV10 Celebratory and Congratulatory Messages
What makes for memorable university experiences?
One answer to this question is PLACE, PROGRAM, and PEOPLE. Place is where we gain the experiences – this includes the physical environment that enhances our experiences. Program is what we participate in – this includes training of minds and opportunities for self-development. And People is who we share the experiences with – this includes a sense of community.
In 2014, Ridge View Residential College was born in the heart of the NUS Kent Ridge Campus. In many ways, RVRC can considered atypical because it is the only RC not located in University Town. Its mix of old and new buildings also stands it further apart from the UTown RCs. What makes RVRC unique is PLACE - its many open green spaces, the Kent Ridge Forest behind it, its natural settings including a bioswale and NUS’ only eco-pond. Unsurprisingly, RVRC is known as the College in Nature. RV10 celebrations include a concerted effort to enhance the eco-pond, restore the bioswale, and create a “Learning Forest”.
RVRC was birthed with the twin themes of sustainability and workplace readiness. Around three years ago, the PROGRAM saw significant revision to support the NUS General Education Curriculum. RV10 celebrations will include the (re)launch of our informal curriculum for workplace readiness in the form of the Personal Development Festival (PDF) that will provide a week-long series of workshops for students to attend for their development. The training of the mind will continue its prominence, with RV10 including a signature Student Symposium entitled “Living and Learning for a Shared Future: The RVRC Way”.
For PEOPLE we will focus on a few aspects. One is the intangible element of the RVRC culture – to this end, we aim to strengthen our collective sense of community by articulating a slogan and a song for RVRC. We also aim to celebrate our collective in forms that involve our alumni – both those who have just graduated from the RVRC program as well as those who have graduated from NUS. To this end, we’re planning a series of activities that aims to bring students, alumni, staff, and family together –a Gala Dinner, a Musical, and an RVRC Day.
So, there you have it – Place, Program, and People. The elements that make for memorable university experiences are the same elements that we aim to include to make for a memorable RV10; a truly unforgettable year of celebrating not only how far we’ve come, but also what we can aim for in the future.
Let’s all celebrate RV10 together!
Associate Professor Sim Tick Ngee
College Master, RVRC
With immense pride and joy, I congratulate the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) on this momentous occasion – the 10th Anniversary.
In 2014, an ambitious proposal for a living-learning experience centred on sustainability and workplace readiness, aimed at cultivating intellectually inquisitive, future-ready and value-centric students, was approved by the NUS Senate. Subsequently, we embarked on a journey to create a vibrant and nurturing community that would serve as a place of learning and as a home away from home for our students. Today, we celebrate the remarkable growth, achievements, and enduring spirit of RVRC.
Over the past ten years, RVRC has become a close-knit community, with each member contributing to the rich tapestry. We have seen countless achievements, celebrated diverse talents, and forged lifelong friendships. The intellectual curiosity that thrives within RVRC is nothing short of inspiring. As we commemorate this milestone, let us reflect on the values that have shaped us: the pursuit of knowledge, the commitment to inclusivity, and the responsibility to give back to society.
Ridge View Residential College will continue to flourish.
I am honoured to have served as the Founding College Master, working alongside dedicated staff and pioneer students on this extraordinary journey to shape RVRC into what it is today. Happy 10th Anniversary, Ridge View Residential College!
Professor Adekunle Adeyeye
Principal of Trevelyan College, Durham University, UK
Founding RVRC College Master (2014 - 2019)
Congratulations, Ridge View Residential College (RVRC), on the 10th anniversary. Not only is this a significant milestone, it is also an achievement.
I had the privilege of being part of the team led by then-College Master, Professor Adekunle Adeyeye, who conceptualised and implemented the first RVRC programme which is vastly different from what it is at present. RVRC started as a one-year living-learning programme for Year One students. We took a bold and unconventional approach in integrating an inter-disciplinary curriculum with three common courses focusing on sustainability, professional and academic communication, and workplace readiness and experiential learning. Our intention to interweave these courses was for students to appreciate the inter-connectivity and inter-relevance of what they learn. Our out-of-classroom learning included field trips, nature and heritage trails, networking sessions, industry visits as well as having guest speakers from diverse backgrounds at RVRC.
A decade later, it is great to see that RVRC has strengthened its sustainability focus and continues to emphasise communication competencies and life skills. From 94 students, 14 peer mentors (now known as resident assistants), four core academic staff members, and three administrative colleagues in August 2014, RVRC has certainly much to celebrate for the many residents on whom it has impacted, and for the many accomplishments it has achieved.
On a personal level, I treasure the camaraderie and strong bonds built with colleagues and students; many of us are still in contact with one another. The RV experience has been invaluable.
Congratulations again!
Assoc. Professor Lee Kooi Cheng
Director of CELC and Master, Helix House
Founding RVRC Director of Studies (2014 - 2016)
RV10 Commemorative Events in 2024
RVRC Learning Forest (Native trees and Bioswale planting)
27 January 2024 (Sat) 830am - 1130am
As a College in Nature, RVRC aims to continue its greening effort by creating a new reforestation plot at the main entrance to the college. This learning forest will enhance the native biodiversity of the campus and provide a space for both learning and recreation. Residents will have the opportunity to learn about key concepts in the forest ecosystem and have a quiet space to connect with the natural environment. RVRC Fellow and former Director of Studies, Mr. N. Sivasothi, will give the opening address for this event, share about Singapore's One Million Tree movement, and conduct a safety briefing. The RVRC Learning Forest will also contribute, in small part, to the NUS Sustainability's 'Planting 10,000 trees' initiative.
10th Anniversary Slogan Writing Competition
Journeying with RVRC: 10th Anniversary Slogan Writing Competition
January 2024 (call for entries)
The slogan writing competition provides a platform for RVRC students and its alumni to innovate a unifying and enduring tagline for the College. This tagline seeks to creatively represent and encapsulate the RVRC living and learning experience.
Winning Slogan (announced on 24 February during the RVRC Symposium 2024):
Nature, Nurture, Adventure
by - Ryan Tan Nai Yang
RVRC Song Writing Competition
29th January 2024 (call for entries)
The songwriting competition harnesses the musical talents of the College's student community to depict their RVRC living-and-learning experiences and memories. The song will serve as a unifying legacy for the College community to commemorate and celebrate RVRC's past, present, and forward-looking achievements.
Personal Development Festival
13th - 15th February 2024
The RVRC Personal Development Festival will span across three-days, and consist of informal activities that develop student's capabilities and potential for facilitating their future employability, enhance their quality of life, and facilitate the realisation of their dreams and aspirations.
Refer to the e-booklet for details. Click on the titles and speakers’ names to skip directly to the synopsis and bio!
Living and Learning for a shared Future: The RVRC Way (RVRC Symposium 2024)
24th February 2024 (Sat) 8:30am - 1:30pm
As in the past, the RVRC Symposium 2024 provides a platform for students from RVRC as well as other NUS Residential Colleges, Faculties, and IHLs, educators, and community partners to network, reflect, and learn from one another on topics related to sustainability education and workplace readiness.
Gala Dinner
30 August 2024
The RVRC Gala Dinner will recognise, celebrate and commemorate the decade-old college community. The formal evening event will feature a grand multi-course meal with opportunities for RVRC students, staff, and alumni to connect and reminisce.
10th Anniversary Celebration Musical/Concert (TBC)
September 2024
"Ridge View Musical" is a heartwarming and energetic musical that explores the transformation journey of RVRC. This uplifting production is a tribute to the joys and tribulations of college life and the lifelong memories made in the process. The musical will feature talented individuals from student Interest Groups such as Jukebox, Dance ReVo, Artelier, and many others including alumni and staff.
RVRC Day: Building Bridges, Strengthening Bonds
October 2024
The RVRC Day celebrates the special connection between RVRC students, alumni, fellows, staff, and their families within the Ridge View community. Throughout the day, a variety of entertainment and activities are provided, including cultural performances, recreational games, sports, and carnival-style food stalls. This atmosphere of fun and relaxation, allowing everyone to spend quality time together and immerse themselves in the unique Ridge View experience.
RV10 Commemorative Video
November 2024
In celebration of RVRC’s 10th Anniversary, the publicity team will create and launch a commemorative video that highlights the past, present, and future of the college. It will also showcase how the college mission and vision informed the year long celebration and events.
