Just as Robert Brown was settling into his new role as Boston University president, he received a new title even more foreign to him: Xiao Zhang Brown.

Over break, Brown was awarded honorary citizenship in Singapore for his continuing support of higher education within the Asian country.

He is among two recipients of the award this year, delivered on Jan. 17.

“The call came as a huge shock to me because I had never dreamed of receiving an honorary citizenship to another country on the basis of my service,” Brown said in an email. He said he was notified of the award at the end of last summer.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the award recognizes individuals who have made valuable contributions to the country in areas including science and education.

Singapore chose to recognize Brown for his assistance with the country’s program of higher education.

“It is a huge honor to be recognized by the government of Singapore for my role in helping them with higher education,” he said. “It also is a tribute … [to] emphasize that Singapore puts on education that the work of the committees I have served on is significant enough to merit such recognition.”

Biomedical engineering department director Charles Cantor said Brown’s activism serves as a positive example for other powerful countries.

“A number of the leading U.S. universities have been forging ties with Singapore, so if Brown’s award facilitates this, there could be very positive benefits,” he said.

College of Communication sophomore Shi-Min Chin said she had heard about Brown’s award.

“[President Brown’s work] must be very prestigious, because under normal circumstances, someone who holds a Singapore citizenship is not allowed to have dual citizenship,” she said.

Chin is an international student who lived in Singapore for three years.

Other students said they were unaware of the honor, but expressed surprise and pleasure upon learning about it.

“That sounds like a very prestigious honor,” COM sophomore Chad Boldini said. “I didn’t know that our president did work in that field. It’s good to see that the work of people connected to BU is being recognized around the world.”

Brown said he advised Singapore over the past 10 years in multiple areas, including as a member of the country’s International Academic Advisory Panel. He said he also served as the chair of a committee that made recommendations to the government on the structure of research support in higher education and he spearheaded a movement to establish the Singapore-MIT Alliance, which Brown called “a partnership in graduate engineering education between the Singapore universities and MIT.”

Sophomore Alex Servello said he thinks it is beneficial to the university to have a president who is respected internationally.

“I think it is definitely a strength to have a president that is respected not only by his peers in the United States but also overseas,” the College of Arts and Sciences sophomore said.

Other students said they thought it could help to raise the standards of the university.

“I think it’s great that he is taking an active role to improve not only the inner workings of the university but the worldwide reputation as well,” Boldini said. “It can only increase his reputation as an active and influential member of the BU community.”

CAS sophomore Erin Hughes said although it is an honor, she was unsure of how it would affect the university.

“President Brown seems to be a very humble man,” Hughes said. “I think if there’s any effect it will be directed toward the entire university. It’s definitely a big honor for a country to bestow honorary citizenship upon someone. If the president of the university has received this honor, I think it will garner some respect.”

Although Brown said he does not think the award will help him serve BU directly, he said he does have some idea about how it may affect him.

“I don’t think the award will help me accomplish anything in particular,” he said. “I might get through Customs in Singapore a bit more easily.”