Have you always wondered what was it like to meet, dine and chat with your professors outside the usual monotonous classroom setting?

On the 13th of January 2009, ASoc organized an informal dining session, aptly named Brunch with the Profs, which aimed to provide opportunities for close and casual interaction between students and the faculty. The session was held at Treehouse, in the School of Information Systems, giving the session a very conducive and relaxed atmosphere for conversation.

Within a short meal, a group of 15 students got a chance to interact with three professors and engaged them in a lively and entertaining chit-chat session. There was no room for shyness as everyone got to know each other better, and especially for the students who saw a different side to their professors, it was definitely a heart-warming experience. Professor Foo See Liang and Professor J.J. Williams were extremely forthcoming in the conversations, as they shared about their favourite sports teams and what they do during their pastimes. The professors were very receptive to any questions from students, and conversations ranged from academic to general issues like the life in SMU. Even Professor Wang Jiwei, the man in charge of the annual Accounting Study Mission (ASM) seized the opportunity to invite students to take part in this year’s ASM to Shanghai and Guangzhou, which not many students were aware of. Students were impressed and amazed at how friendly their professors really were when they were not teaching.

Overall, it was a successful and enjoyable networking session between the students and faculty, and continued to foster the bond within the ASoc family. We continue to look forward to more of such events in the future.

Much laughter from faculty members and students alike!