By Amelia Tan

THE as-yet-unnamed fourth university to open in 2011 has secured the world's No. 1 technological university as its partner: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen yesterday described MIT's role in the new university as its 'most substantive collaboration on undergraduate education to date'.

MIT professors will be in charge of developing the science and technology curriculum and use design to integrate the teaching of various disciplines. They will also teach.

The new university will also have a Chinese university as a second partner, to be announced at the end of the year.

Dr Ng said: 'The US despite its current economic difficulties, will continue to be a powerhouse in knowledge creation and innovation.

'In our discussions with potential US partners, the importance of the China connection became evident to position us better for the future. China, with its vast talent base and a huge potential market, will rise in global importance.'

It was reported previously that the new university will take in 2,000 to 2,500 students per year, before hitting an enrolment of between 10,000 and 12,000 undergraduates eventually.

Yesterday, Dr Ng said cohort size will be kept small, with an undergraduate population of about 4,000 students. That would mean a yearly enrolment of about 1,000.

Asked about the smaller enrolment size, he said: 'In our discussions with our partners it was clear that there would have to be some trade-off between quality and quantity. You can't realistically take students of varying calibre and some of them will struggle in the courses.'

He does not preclude a larger intake in the future.

'The issue is really on quality that is consistent with our choice of partners and the way we position this university.'

The new university will focus on science, engineering, information systems and architecture.

Classes will start in 2011 at an undisclosed temporary location before moving to Upper Changi in 2013.

MIT president Susan Hockfield said: 'This is an exciting next step in our long relationship and a natural outgrowth of our shared interest in word-class science and engineering-based education, design and innovation.'

MIT is particularly strong in scientific and technological education and research.

Founded in 1861, its alumni and faculty include chairman of the US Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke, Nobel laureate in medicine H. Robert Horvitz and Nobel laureate in physics Wolfgang Ketterle.

The American university already has a foothold here. Since 1998, it has been working with the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University through the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) to provide post-graduate engineering education and research programmes.

SMA's co-director, Professor Hardy Chan, said: 'Most of the people from MIT whom I have met possess an entrepreneurial spirit that is borne out of passion for what they do. This passion is frequently transferred to students under their mentorship.

'I am certain that students of the new university will benefit greatly from having MIT as a university partner.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.