Provost Patrick Prendergast has announced the election of Dr Stanley Quek as the new Pro-Chancellor of College at an event in the Irish embassy in Singapore last night.
In his announcement published online, Prendergast declared that: “Trinity has just six Pro-Chancellors, very eminent men and women. We’re honoured that Stanley will now be among them.”
Three Pro-Chancellors are currently listed on Trinity’s website. These include Prof David McConnell, who was elected in 2016, Prof Jane Grimson, who was also elected in 2016 and the Honourable Sir Donnell Deeny who was elected in 2014. Pro-Chancellors deputise for the Chancellor of Trinity in accordance with the College statutes and make up a panel of maximum six members. The panel was created in 1964 following the abolition of the Vice-Chancellor office.
Regarded as one of the highest accolades granted by College, the position is reserved for distinguished graduates and academic members of Trinity’s staff. Pro-Chancellors hold office in their own right and are ex-officio members of the Senate of the University. When deputising for the Chancellor, a Pro-Chancellor enjoys the privileges of the Chancellor, which include awarding degrees from Trinity.
Dr Quek graduated from Medicine in Trinity in 1972 and is the first Pro-Chancellor from Asia. A benefactor to College, the Provost described Quek as a “truly remarkable alumnus for Trinity”. A medical practitioner, property developer, and philanthropist, Quek is credited with attracting students from Asia and Australia to study at Trinity. A lecture theatre in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) is named after him.
While in Singapore, Prendergast is set to visit a number of Universities and Institutes of Technology that Trinity has exchange programmes with. In 2011, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Trinity began a joint degree in Physiotherapy and a one year programme in Occupational Therapy. The Provost also met the the President of the Singapore Management University (SMU) which Trinity has exchange agreements with. The Provost stated that there are 155 students from Trinity at SIT and 84 students from Singapore studying in Trinity.
