Members of the CMC community explored Singapore for the third annual Worldmeet, which was focused on the island nation’s global significance.
Nearly 50 CMCers—including alumni and trustees with their families, recent graduates and incoming students, President Hiram Chodosh and Priya Junnar, and friends of the College—dug deeply into the learning experience, which included a lively, engaging discussion on U.S.-China relations led by Professor Minxin Pei P’12 at the historic Raffles Hotel.
Pei, who is the Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government and George R. Roberts Fellow at CMC, said the discussion “addressed some of the most important aspects” of the “difficult but consequential relationship” between the U.S. and China, “such as their economic competition and geopolitical tensions.”
“The theme of the trip was thoughtfully crafted,” Pei said, “with a heavy focus on the economy and geopolitics of Asia and a clear overview of the immense changes the region is going through and of the stakes for the U.S.”
Worldmeet’s itinerary included dinner with a member of Parliament, Murali Pillai, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport, who was invited by Ted Gover ’98. In addition, National University of Singapore Professor Yuen Foong Khong ’80 gave a timely talk, “The Importance of Singapore and Southeast Asia in Global Politics” while Casey Mace, the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore provided a thorough briefing on U.S. relations with Singapore and the region.
“This is the third time we have had the honor of convening a Worldmeet, reflecting how CMC is on the forefront of business, government, and international affairs,” said Michelle Chamberlain, Vice President of Advancement, Dean for Student Opportunities and Dean of the Robert Day Scholars Program. “Once again, the programming strongly resonated with CMCers, and I encourage our alumni, families, and friends to join us for Worldmeet IV in Argentina.”
For John Faranda ’79, CMC’s Ambassador-at-Large, one of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Marina Bay Sands with Ian Feldman ’07, the hotel’s vice president of strategic planning and analysis. In addition, Faranda highlighted the talk, “The Future of Singapore,” by former Ambassador Tommy Koh at a special lunch hosted by Shiok Fu Teo ’89 at the historic Tanglin Club.
Overall, Faranda said, “CMC received very positive feedback from everyone about how they enjoyed the delicious meals and the adventures, including the ArtScience Museum, Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay, the National Museum of Singapore, and the Singapore Botanic Gardens. A true adventure was going to one of Singapore’s famous hawker food stands for lunch!”
To illustrate how the world feels small when you are a CMCer, Faranda recounted how Scott Torrey ’91 P’23 P’26, who recently completed his two-year term as President of the CMC Alumni Association, “spotted someone in the hotel elevator wearing a CMS Stag Soccer T-shirt. He turned out to be a first-year student from Texas, who was just traveling in Singapore. So, Scott invited the family to join us for the closing Worldmeet dinner!”
Next up…Buenos Aires! We are thrilled to invite CMC alumni, families, faculty, and students to Worldmeet IV in Argentina, June 11-15, 2025.