| Fall '07/Winter '08: Alumni: Senator William Hernstadt ’57
The View from the East
An American in Singapore reflects
on his life in one of the world’s
most vibrant cities
The first few months in Singapore required a bit of adjustment for Senator William Hernstadt ’57.
He learned to look the “correct” way when crossing the street—Singaporeans drive on the left—after nearly stepping into traffic. A conflict between the government and The Wall Street Journal made it difficult to keep up with financial news. When he arrived with his family in 1988, movies were sometimes so heavily censored that the story line was hard to make out.
Today, he wouldn’t live anywhere else.
“People ask me, ‘How can you live there? It’s so controlled,’” he said. “But in the things that matter—sound government, a lack of violence, communications infrastructure, an outstanding airport and subway system—no country can surpass Singapore.”
From Vegas to the Pacific Rim
That includes the United States, where Hernstadt spent many years before making the move. His career spanned more than 30 years and several job descriptions: merger and acquisition specialist, assistant treasurer at a major corporation, and head of broadcast stations in Miami and Las Vegas, among other titles. For seven years he held elective office, serving with distinction in the Nevada State Senate.
The move overseas, however, had little to do with business, at least initially. Hernstadt married Jerene, a native of Singapore, in 1985; three years later they moved to her homeland. “Back then, in order to stay in Singapore, you had to start a business,” he said, “so I founded DP Search”—which quickly became the region’s most successful IT recruitment firm.
In the ensuing years, he and Jerene raised three children, impressing on them the value of growing up in a different culture. “Early on, I said to the kids, ‘You are citizens of the world,’” Hernstadt recalled. “The whole experience was very good for them, because they learned that it doesn’t matter where they live.” The cosmopolitan message apparently got through: his children are bilingual (Mandarin and English), two are currently studying medicine in Australia, and all exhibit a deep concern for global issues, especially poverty.
“A Whole Country in One City”
Today, Singapore has liberalized considerably—and according to Hernstadt, even the remaining restrictions make for a better standard of living. Citizens, for instance, cannot own firearms; as a result, “you can walk almost anywhere at night. Drive-by shootings are completely unheard of.” The fine for a first-time littering offense is S$1,000 (about US$675), and so “Singapore is a modern city that’s cleaner than any in the U.S.”
Other advantages abound. Hernstadt cites Singapore as a very easy place to start and conduct a business, with none of the labyrinthine regulations that plague the United States. Income taxes are low, government budgets balanced, and health care affordable. Singapore’s reputation as a financial center allows it to coexist peacefully with much larger neighbors.
And transportation policy makes sense for a place that, Hernstadt said, is “a whole country in one large city.” While vehicles are expensive, and gasoline prices substantially higher than those in the United States, the subway system is eminently affordable: senior citizen rates, for instance, range from just 45 cents to 80 cents U.S.
Not that Singapore is without its challenges. With 4.6 million people on one island, housing is expensive. Flooding may become a more frequent concern as the impact of global warming increases. “If the water level goes up 10 feet, that could be a problem,” Hernstadt said.
A Future for Young People
Another Singapore shortcoming might just be an opportunity for Americans and others. “Because life has been so regulated here, many students and graduates don’t naturally think outside the box,” said Hernstadt, who encountered this issue during his days with DP Search. “We would often recruit from Malaysia for that very reason. The beauty of the U.S.—and of Rensselaer—is that you learn to think creatively.”
Even from thousands of miles away, Hernstadt exhibits an unflagging enthusiasm for Rensselaer and the new Rensselaer Engineering Education Across Cultural Horizons (REACH) program. “REACH is an excellent idea,” he said, “and Dr. Jackson has done a magnificent job as president. As a brilliant scholar, she can successfully deal with diverse people and diverse cultures, which is so important in a global society.”
While enjoying life in Singapore today, Hernstadt sees substantial advantages for tomorrow’s citizens as well. “The country encourages people to stay here and become entrepreneurs,” he commented. “Kids who stay in Singapore will be in the most exciting part of the world for the next 20 to 30 years, yet having learned good, honest values from growing up here. It’s a convergence that many countries would love to have.”
