ESTATE MANAGEMENT OF NUS KENT RIDGE CAMPUS

Abstract

The National University of Singapore (NUS) became a legal entity on August 8, 1980 after the Goverrment's decision to amalgamate the University of Singapore and the Nanyang University into a single national university. Following this decision, the Kent Ridge Campus, which was originally designed solely for the University of Singapore, had to cater to the needs of a sudden increase in the student population with expansionary plans in the years to come. The pressure on scarce resources is new slowly mounting. Yet, the estate management functions within the Campus are still being performed by several different offices. There are many problems inherent in this system. There is a general lack of coordination among various offices, resulting in an unclear delineation of the exact areas of work. This then indicates an inefficient use of facilities. Moreover, there is also the problem of a high turnover rate of staff and unfilled vacancies. The existing staff in the Estate Office is thus overloaded with work to the extent that they are unable to plan better maintenance schedules. It is proposed in this dissertation that all the estate management functions be centralized and monitored by a single office. This would then promote better coordination and a more systematic approach to proper management. All facilities can also be centrally planned and put to their optimum use. It is also recommended that more qualified staff be employed, and more attractive salaries amidst other incentives be offered to motivate and retain them.