LASALLE raised the roof with an exuberant celebration of its past, present and future at the LASALLE40 Gala Night on Friday 8 November, held at the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Theatre with around 300 guests in attendance. Board members past and present, staff, alumni, donors, partners and old friends of the College gathered to reminisce and enjoy a night to remember as LASALLE turned 40.

Guest of Honour, President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, graced the occasion with his spouse Ms Jane Ittogi. Calling LASALLE "a precious stone in Singapore education", President Tharman spoke warmly about LASALLE's many contributions to Singapore, from uplifting the arts and making a social impact, to driving innovation through partnerships with STEM fields and other industries.

"You are helping to build and strengthen the bridges that deepen and broaden our sense of ourselves as Singaporeans ... bridges that promote empathy and understanding between generations who have lived very different lives in Singapore; bridges that bring acceptance of those with different convictions and different perspectives of what a good society should be; bridges between Singaporeans and the peoples of the region around us."
– President Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Audience members in the SIA Theatre were treated to a medley of live performances from Diploma in Dance students, Musical Theatre alumni, and a music showcase with Senior Lecturer Dr Darren Moore on drums and Head, School of Contemporary Music, Dr Timothy O'Dwyer, on the saxophone. A series of video retrospectives celebrated the achievements of LASALLE's three Faculties over the years, as well as the growth of the College from its earliest days at St Patrick's Arts Centre.

Following the theatre segment, two specially curated LASALLE40 exhibitions with works from Fine Arts and Design alumni were opened in LASALLE's galleries. President Tharman and Ms Ittogi joined LASALLE Chairman Mr Peter Seah and President Professor Steve Dixon to pen well-wishes for LASALLE as part of the design exhibition, The Design Constellation.

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