A chat with the head of SSH!

Mr Lee Hwee Chuin, mention that name in the School of Social Science and Humanities, and you would be sure to see a smile. Why? This is because Mr Lee is no ordinary head of school, instead, in the hearts of the many students in SSH, the former lawyer is smart, modest, friendly, is reputed for his sharp wits and charismatic persona.

The Media Relations team was very lucky to have been able to find a small free slot in his schedule for a short interview so that you may have a better understanding of what SSH is all about!

Simple versatility is not something that only the students of SSH possess, but is possessed by the head of school as well. Initially, this interview session was planned to be held as we engaged in a ping-pong session with him, so that he may show off his ping-pong prowess.

However, due to Mr Lee’s busy schedule and the ping-pong venue being unavailable. We proceeded with the interview in his office instead.

Anyway, here is what he had to say:

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1) What is the vision and mission of SSH?

SSH has a vision to produce graduates who are generally known as well-rounded, students who are academically sound inbuilt with very strong and updated skills and trainings which means they have got the practical experience and academic inclinations. The mission is to educate as many young people with the right attitude, ethics and morality as well as knowledge.


2) TARC is 40 this year, as SSH turns 10. In the passed 10 years, what kind of impact has SSH made toward TARC?

I’d say that SSH has definitely liven up the atmosphere of the entire college.

Life before SSH was about studying and taking exams, studying and taking more exams…There were no events then, but that has changed. Things are livelier now.


3) How long have you been a part of SSH?

I joined TARC before the establishment of SSH. I was in TARC since 1995/1996 whereas SSH was established in 1999. In those days, SSH was under the School of Arts and Science. I was the first lecturer under SSH at the point of its establishment.


4) What were your initial thoughts when you were given the post of the head of SSH?

Honestly, I didn’t know what to think or do. I definitely did not foresee this when I first joined TARC as a lecturer.

But I then began to understand my role, which was to push SSH to be amongst the best.


5) What are the significant changes you saw in SSH’s growth over the years?

SSH is by far the youngest school in TARC and it is also the most vibrant. SSH has a wide repertoire of disciplines, and we are not normal by standards (whispers: Some say we don’t follow the rules), our growth has always been directed to be more forward looking, liberal and dynamic. At the same time, we know how to handle the serious part of things. This is clearly reflected in our lecturers and students. We have definitely come a long way in that sense.


6) What would you consider SSH biggest success story?

All of my graduates are my biggest success. They are all equal in my eyes. The ultimate goal is to see all the students that come here, to leave equipped with what they need to start their journey in the real world.


7) What do you expect to change for SSH through this event?

The misconceptions of SSH itself. The misconception that SSH students are deemed a few notches lower in term of brain-power, which is definitely not true.

The idea here is to change the concept and understanding of the word ‘quality’, to show that it doesn’t necessarily mean to score higher in exams but rather to show what it means to be human, it means to be well-prepared for the working life, it means ultimately to produce graduates who are well-rounded members in the society.

We hope to be the starting point for all our students to equip themselves with the ability to learn continuously during and after college, so they may effectively contribute to the society. I believe this is a harder task to achieve.


8) What is your leadership philosophy as the head of SSH?

To be accessible all the time. I believe everything can be done through proper negotiation.

My leadership style is to be approachable, and it is clear in this sense, since
students do come over to talk to me during my (meant-to-be-quiet) coffee sessions.


9) We were told by one very wise lecturer that an organization is not limited by the compounds of a building, but rather by its people and what they do. So, what is your opinion of the people (staffs and lecturers) of SSH who are charged with maintaining this organization known as SSH?

They are all highly qualified, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. There are times when they act individually, there are times when they act cohesive as a team.

Your lecturer is right, an organization is not a building, a building is merely something we need as a resource to accommodate our students’ activities, for instance, students need halls to practice event management. SSH is made of and by such people in it.


10) The overall concept of this celebration was actually chosen out of 10 pitch presentations made by the second year students of Advanced Diploma in Mass Communications, in Public Relations (APR2) and Media Studies(AMS2). We heard that you personally vouched for the concept of "Simply Versatile", is there any reason why you put this concept so close to heart?

We can be as good as five stars and beyond, and when we are required to, we can do the simple things as well… Versatility is more important to us. We need to learn the limits of rigidness and be creative with what we have, that is called being versatile, by being able to adapt. That’s why I felt that concept was good because the real world requires you to be versatile.


11) And what do you believe is currently done in SSH which can contribute to a student's path to simple versatility?

Whatever we do, can be converted into some form of an evaluative marking and therefore it can be used to evaluate students. That is why SSH focuses on teaching students practicality as well as academics. You may know the answer to a question, but when faced with a situation, do you know what can be done to actually solve it? SSH hopes to see students learn from that practical perspective, and I believe that it can make students more versatile in that sense.


12) If we were to ask you to use 5 words to describe the style of SSH's methods of
education, what would it be?

Dynamic, Liberal, Practical, Simplfied yet Forward Looking.


13) What message do you hope that people would get from this overall celebration campaign?

The only message we want to disseminate is the dynamism of SSH and its inhabitants. I’m proud to say that our PR course is one of the best.


14) If you could make a prediction, what do you see in SSH’s future?

I’d say that I would foresee that our practice, in combining practical competence and academic excellence, be used as a benchmark by all other educational institutions attempting this kind of programme.
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The media relations team posing with Mr Lee

**Special thanks to Mr Lee for being such a good sport!