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Singapore leaders paid tribute to Professor Eddie Kuo, the founding dean of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), with reflections on his academic contributions to Singapore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A respected academic, Prof Kuo died at the age of 85 on Monday (Mar 23). He was also an honorary advisor for the Centre for Chinese Studies (CCS) at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).<\/p>\n
Before his role as founding dean at WKWSCI, Prof Kuo served as head of the National University of Singapore’s sociology department and director of its mass communication programme.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minister for Education Desmond Lee said that he was saddened by Prof Kuo’s passing.<\/p>\n
In a Facebook post, Mr Lee wrote that Prof Kuo “was widely regarded as the founding father of communication studies in Singapore” who built an international reputation as a scholar, teacher and education policymaker.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after stepping down from formal leadership, he continued teaching and nurturing young minds,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHis research on language policy, national integration, and the sociology of multilingualism helped us better understand Singapore’s unique multicultural identity,\u201d Mr Lee added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Throughout his career, Prof Kuo served our nation with distinction, as a board member of the National Computer Board, the Singapore Broadcasting Authority and the Media Development Authority,” Mr Lee said, adding that Prof Kuo had also served as a member of the Bioethics Advisory Committee under the Ministry of Health, and on the board of directors of the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism.<\/p>\n
“My heartfelt condolences to Prof Kuo’s family and loved ones.”<\/p>\n
Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing\u00a0also reflected on Prof Kuo\u2019s contributions as a \u201cpioneer in communications and media studies, and a distinguished academic who played a key role in shaping the field and mentoring generations of students\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough his work and service, Professor Kuo helped strengthen our understanding of multiculturalism and the importance of cultural roots in a rapidly changing world,\u201d Mr Chan said in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis contributions will endure through the many lives he touched and the institutions he helped shape.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n