solving problems, investing in the future - NUS Giving

The Power of Potential | 1
ISSUE 7 / JULY 2016
INFLUENCING THE FUTURE THROUGH PHILANTHROPY
PhD students are extremely important in
this setting because they are young, they
come with a very open mind, they are
full of energy and they don’t come with
any preconceived notions of what can be
done and what cannot be done. So they
are always challenging and pushing the
knowledge boundaries. This combination
of expertise, experience and uninhibited
enthusiasm is potent.
And why is this research important for
NUS and for Singapore and for the world?
Because, unfortunately, the world has
become more complicated, more complex.
Problems are becoming hard and in fact we
are grappling with many problems, such as
food security, which are “wicked” problems:
they have no easy solution.
SOLVING PROBLEMS,
INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
Professor Mohan Kankanhalli, Vice Provost (Graduate
Education), talks about why universities, such as the
National University of Singapore (NUS), and society
need PhD students, and the difference private support
for PhD Scholarships can make.
What do PhD students do and how
much of their work is research-based?
PhD students are working towards the
highest degree. It is quite an unstructured
degree in the sense that the coursework is
relatively small and they focus the bulk of
the time doing research. So typically a PhD
student spends 25 percent of their time on
coursework and 75 percent of their time is
related to his or her doctoral research.
02
Mabel and
Soon Siew Kwa
Scholarship
Why are PhD students important
for a university such as NUS, and for
Singapore?
They are important because the mainstay of
a research intensive university like NUS is not
just knowledge dissemination but knowledge
creation. We have brilliant faculty members
with a tremendous amount of experience
working on a variety of problems, with deep
expertise and experience in doing research.
06
Lee Kong Chian
Graduate
Scholarship
Many of the fundamental breakthroughs for
society have originated in universities. And
often in the PhD thesis of a student who is
working with a group of experts in a very
friendly yet adversarial setting – friendly
in that it is nurturing; and adversarial in
that it challenges conventions; you want
to challenge the assumptions. It is very
important to us to have the most talented
PhD students come here to solve the most
difficult problems.
What does a PhD student typically do
after receiving their PhD?
The bulk of our PhD students engage
in research and development activities,
either in academia or in one of the
national research labs, or in corporate
research labs. And if not, they are actually
managing innovation, or they are managing
policy. This is a result of having a deep
understanding of how research is done
and how research works.
They are very much into helping advance
research, development and innovation in
both the public sector and private sector.
Continued on page 7
08
Produced by the NUS Development Office.
If you want to know more about NUS Giving or if you would like to enquire about making a gift to the University, email askdvo@nus.edu.sg,
call +65 6516-8000 or visit www.giving.nus.edu.sg
Ng Peck Lian and
Tan Teng Hian
Scholarship
2 Scholarship honours parents
Our Champions,
Our AmbassadorS
We would like to thank the following volunteers who
are involved in supporting and advising on giving to the
University (as of 31 March 2016).
Development Committee of the Board of Trustees
Mr Wong Ngit Liong ’65 (Chairman)
Chairman & CEO, Venture Corporation Limited
Professor Tan Chorh Chuan ’83
President, National University of Singapore
Mr Goh Yew Lin
Managing Director, G.K. Goh Holdings Limited
Dr Noeleen Heyzer ’71
Social Scientist and former United Nations Under-Secretary
General
Professor Saw Swee Hock ’56
Professorial Fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
Mr Abdullah Tarmugi ’69
Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights
and former Speaker of Parliament
Ms Elaine Yew Wen Suen
Member of Global Executive Committee and
Managing Partner Singapore, Egon Zehnder
Mr Edward Lee Kwong Foo ’70
Co-opted
Chief Executive, PT. Ekalumintas
Singapore’s Former Ambassador to Indonesia,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr Johnny Tan ’82
Co-opted
Immediate Past President,
National University of Singapore Society (NUSS)
President’s Advancement Advisory Council
The Power of Potential | 3
Scholarship
from senior
alumni honouring
their loving,
supportive parents
Associate Professor Kwa Chong Guan (’68) and
Ms Kwa Kim Hwa (’73) have made a gift to enable
NUS to establish the Mabel and Soon Siew Kwa
Scholarship named in memory of their parents.
Ambassador Chan Heng Wing ’69
Singapore’s Non-resident High Commissioner to
the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr Chew Sutat
Executive Vice President, Equities and Fixed-Income,
Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX)
Kewalram Chanrai
Scholarship nurtures
women leaders
The Kewalram Chanrai Scholarship, which prioritises
female students, was established with a generous
gift from the Kewalram Chanrai Group to empower
and inspire female undergraduates to be future
leaders and entrepreneurs.
after she had completed University and
that education at the University taught
her to be resourceful and independent.
The Scholarship will provide full-term
financial assistance to Singaporean
undergraduates during their studies
at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of
Music, FASS or NUS Business School.
Prof Kwa hopes that the recipients
will remember that the Scholarship is
enabling them to realise their dreams
and at some time in their future, reflect
on enabling others to achieve theirs, in
keeping with the spirit of the quote by
William Penn that his father would have
read every day, “I expect to pass through
this world but once. Any good that I can
do, or any kindness that I can show to
any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let
me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not
pass this way again.”
Dr Vikram Chhatwal ’94
Chairman, MediAssist India TPA Pte Ltd
Mr Choo Heng Thong
Former Founder and Managing Director, Spindex Industries Limited
Mr Setyono Djuandi Darmono
President Director, PT. Jababeka Tbk
Mr Bill Foo Say Mui
Vice Chairman, South and South-east Asia,
ANZ Banking Group Limited
Mr Gan Chee Yen ’84
CEO, Fullerton Financial Holdings Pte Ltd
Ambassador Giam Chin Toon ’67
Senior Partner, Wee Swee Teow & Co.
Singapore’s Non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Peru, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dr Farid Harianto
Former Special Advisor to Vice President, Republic of Indonesia
Mr Yaya Winarno Junardy
President Commissioner, PT Rajawali Corpora
Mr Hermawan Kartajaya
Founder & President, MarkPlus Inc.
Professor Lee Chuen Neng ’75
Chairman, Centre for Healthcare Innovation & Medical Engineering,
National University of Singapore
Mr Edward Lee Kwong Foo ’70
Chief Executive, PT. Ekalumintas
Singapore’s Former Ambassador to Indonesia,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr Leong Yue Wing ’76
Former CEO, TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings Limited
Former Executive Vice President, Philips Consumer Electronics
Dr Lim Cheok Peng ’72
From left: Ms Kwa Kim Hwa (’74), NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan (’83), Assoc Prof Kwa Chong
Guan (’68) and Mrs Nelly Kwa (’89), and the synchronised swimming performers from the Ang Peng
Siong Swimming School.
Senior Advisor to the Board, IHH Healthcare Berhad
Mr Lim Ho Kee
Chairman, Singapore Post Limited
Mr Liu Chee Ming ’76
Managing Director, Platinum Holdings Company Limited
Mr Albert Liu Chung Hsing
Managing Director, UBS AG
Dr Liu Thai-Ker
Director, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd
Dr Kuntoro Mangkusubroto
Former Head of President’s Delivery Unit for Development, Monitoring and Oversight, Republic of Indonesia
Mr Arthur Ng Boon Chye
Former Chairman, Singapore Chamber of Commerce Indonesia
Mr Douglas R. Ooi
Director, Shun Fung Holdings Pte Ltd
Ibu Shanti Poesposoetjipto
Chairman, PT Samudera Indonesia Tbk
Mr Tan Kwang Hwee
Managing Director, Newsman Realty Pte Ltd
Ambassador Tan Puay Hiang
Singapore’s Non-resident High Commissioner to the
United Republic of Tanzania, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chairman and CEO, Contemporara Holdings Pte Ltd
“Our parents were members of the
Pre-Pioneer Generation who laboured
through the 1950s and 1960s into the
1970s, helping to lay the foundations
that enabled Singapore to survive
after the separation from Malaysia in
1965. The major portion of my father’s
working career was with Chung Khiaw
Bank, founded in 1947 as the “small
man’s bank.” He married my mother
Ms Mabel Lim towards the end of
World War II,” reveals Prof Kwa, who is
teaching at the Department of History,
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
(FASS).
Dr Tan See Leng ’88
Group CEO and Managing Director, Parkway Pantai Limited
Mr Toh Hock Ghim ’66
Chairman, Equation Summit Limited
Former Senior Advisor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ms Tracey Woon ’79
Vice Chairman, ASEAN Corporate and Investment Banking, Citigroup Global Markets Singapore Pte Ltd
Ms Kwa added, “They were very
supportive of all that we wanted or
chose to do. I studied Social Work as
my major; my mother’s friends asked
her why she allowed me to do the
course as social workers were not well
paid; my mother’s reply was that if that
is her area of interest, let it be as this
was her life and I trusted her decision.”
Ms Kwa doesn’t remember all the facts
and figures and knowledge dished out
during lectures and tutorials but she
remembers the fun they had – tea at
the Students’ Union, chatting at the
Upper Quadrangle, taking the nice
shaded and peaceful walk on the road
to classes; buying books at the Co-op
store; playful pranks played in class,
“choping seats” and queueing for
“Red Spot” books at the Library.
She felt what was important were the
friendships forged and maintained
She says, “I hope to take the
experiences that I have gained from all
the opportunities here and the lessons
learnt from the people around me, to
do more when I go back to Indonesia.”
This gift was facilitated by Mr David Ho,
President of the National University of
Singapore Society (NUSS). Mr Ho and
NUSS have been actively appealing to
its members to support their alma mater,
including contributing to the NUS Alumni
Bursary Campaign. In recognition of the
generosity of the Kwas, NUSS has named
the Kent Ridge Guild House swimming
complex the Mabel and Soon Siew Kwa
Swimming Complex. Prof Kwa is an NUSS
life member.
Prof Kwa also hopes that their gifts will
nudge senior alumni of NUS reaching, or
having reached the seventh decade of
their life cycle, to reflect on the words of
Confucius at the beginning of Book Two
of his Analects “at seventy I could give
my heart-and-mind free reign without
overstepping the mark.”
To learn more about
honouring a loved one
through a named scholarship,
please contact askdvo@nus.
edu.sg or call 1-800-DEVELOP
(1-800-338-3567).
Alexia, Class of 2019, echoes this,
“Being in Yale-NUS, I have been
presented with so many opportunities,
which is significant for me as there
aren’t as many opportunities where I
come from, especially for females.”
Iwani Mawocha (South Africa), Alexia Davidson
(Jamaica) and Callysta Thony (Indonesia) are the
inaugural recipients of the Kewalram
Chanrai Scholarship.
Three Yale-NUS students, Iwani
Mawocha (South Africa), Alexia
Davidson (Jamaica) and Callysta
Thony (Indonesia) are the inaugural
recipients of the Scholarship. Each of
them is committed to giving back to
their communities, and to making a
difference, especially for women.
For Callysta, Class of 2019, this
Scholarship has given her an education
she would not have been able to
afford. As a member of the Yale-NUS
International and Political Association
(YIRPA), she will be participating in
the Water for Life project, building
bio-sand filters in Cambodia to bring
clean drinking water to the community.
Through Yale-NUS’ KidsAccomplish, she
is also helping kids learn about other
cultures.
Callysta also started The Pathway
Project to give high school students
access to corporate internships in
Indonesia. She also teaches English in
Indonesian villages through the Global
Issues Network club in her high school.
Today, Alexia is part of Arts Lab, an
experimental theatre group in Yale-NUS
College, which gives disadvantaged
women and minorities a voice through
the stage. She is also one of the
pioneering students in YNC Hacks, a
group that participates in hackathons.
Her team recently won first prize in the
IdeasInc startathon.
Iwani, Class of 2018, is also a Computer
Science major. She will be working in
collaboration with ConnectHer, a nonprofit organisation that helps connect
female students here to women coders
and professionals, and facilitates coding
courses. She is also the co-founder of
Mustard Seed Africa, an organisation
that focuses on female development,
helping women to generate income
through activities such as handcraft,
agriculture and entrepreneurship.
These ladies are engaging in innovation
and learning with critical and creative
thinking, all the while keeping in
mind their end goal of helping those
around them. This is exactly what
the Kewalram Chanrai Group hopes
to achieve with the Scholarship:
encouraging active learning and
giving back to the community.
Join NUS in creating a
vibrant university learning
environment. To explore how
to set up a named scholarship,
please contact askdvo@nus.
edu.sg or call 1-800-DEVELOP
(1-800-338-3567).
4 Scholarship inspires student to make a difference
The Power of Potential | 5
Scholarship
broadens Science
student’s horizons
First private gift to solar
energy research scholarship
RenewSys-Enpee Group PhD Scholarship
aims to shed new light on solar technology.
Life Sciences major, Celestine Cai Xueting, is
enjoying a fulfilling university experience thanks
to the Daisy and Robert Pang Scholarship.
Receiving the Daisy and Robert Pang
Scholarship at NUS meant a lot to Science
student Celestine Cai Xueting. It allowed
her to make full use of the wide range of
opportunities that NUS has to offer.
“The award has not only given me the
chance to study in NUS and pursue my
passion in science, it has also allowed me
to throw myself headfirst into the world
of science and research without having
to worry about finances. I feel so grateful
because all these used to be just a dream,”
Celestine shares.
diagnosis of illnesses and diseases.
This summer, I hope to participate in
research programmes overseas to gain
exposure to the laboratory practices of
international institutes. This valuable
research experience would have been a
pipe dream without the award,” she adds.
According to the Year 2 Life Sciences
major however, being a Science student is
a lot more than just hitting the books.
“Every day at the Science Faculty has
been filled with learning. The professors
are very experienced in their diverse
“The award has given me access to many
fields, and there are many opportunities
helpful and stimulating specialist textbooks to do research under them. The
that would have otherwise been very
curriculum is such that there is enough
costly and unaffordable. Last summer, I
flexibility for students to choose their
was also able to participate in a research
modules and explore the fields of their
programme working on a multiplex PCR
liking, whilst ensuring sufficient broad
diagnostic panel used for detection and
based scientific knowledge. On top of
Scholarship
In cancer
research spurs
PhD student
forward
Lim Jia Pei, recipient of the
Ong Hin Tiang PhD Scholarship
in Cancer Research is inspired
to make a difference.
To Mr Sanjay Kirpalani, NUS was the
obvious choice.
that, the Science Club organises many
fun extracurricular activities for students
to broaden their experiences and step
away from all the academic stress,”
Celestine shares.
Having been on some community service
trips, Celestine has developed a deep
interest in point-of-care diagnostics and
aspires to become a research scientist
to develop cheaper, more accurate, and
more accessible test kits.
To find out more about
creating a named scholarship,
please contact askdvo@nus.
edu.sg or call 1-800-DEVELOP
(1-800-338-3567).
The Chairman of RenewSys, an
Enpee Group enterprise, which is in
the business of manufacturing solar
panels and components, became the
first private donor to work with the
Solar Energy Research Institute of
Singapore (SERIS) at NUS to establish
a scholarship to further the research
and development of the solar industry.
“With both SERIS and NUS being
globally recognised institutions
located in a world-class city state like
Singapore, it was clear that our gift
would be well-utilised for the intended
purposes,” states Mr Kirpalani.
The RenewSys-Enpee Group PhD
Scholarship will support an NUS
doctoral Singaporean student who is
pursuing studies in a topic of relevance
to the local solar industry.
“Someone once told me that a true gift
is found in our sincerity to act for the
happiness of others,” reflects Lim Jia Pei,
a PhD student in her first year at the NUS
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.
The Biomedical Sciences graduate
was awarded the Ong Hin Tiang PhD
Scholarship in Cancer Research and is
currently pursuing her doctoral studies at
the NUS Department of Anatomy.
While Jia Pei is fully aware of the muchneeded boost the Scholarship has given
her in pursuing an education in a topranking university, she didn’t realise that
it originated from a long-lasting heritage
of hard work and humility.
The Scholarship was set up by the Ong
Hin Tiang & Ong Sek Pek Foundation,
whose funding comes solely from gifts
made by the late Mr Ong Sek Pek and his
family. It all started when a poor young
Chinese scholar named Mr Ong Pek Boey
came to Malaya in search of a better life
for himself and for the generations after
him. After his untimely passing, his family
“The hope is that a student will focus
on the research of groundbreaking
sustainable technologies to enhance
the use of solar energy in Singapore,
and to use that understanding to take
the message globally. NUS and SERIS
should be an “innovator and exporter”
of research and development,” shares
Mr Kirpalani.
He emphasises that the candidate must
share a passion for wanting to make
solar energy a viable alternative to
traditional forms of power generation,
and possess a desire for sustainability
and a drive to innovate.
The successful Enpee Group takes its
corporate social responsibility very
seriously, supporting many outreach
programmes in India and Nigeria.
The Group also believes very much
in empowering through education
and has another Scholarship in Public
Administration at the Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy at NUS.
survived through frugal living and careful
saving and after many years, managed
to invest in land, buy a shop and start a
business.
Five generations later, Mr Ong Sek Pek,
the eldest son of Mr Ong Hin Tiang, never
forgot his roots and established the
family foundation to help the weak and
the downtrodden just as his father had
done on a personal basis throughout his
life. Mr Ong felt that funding students’
education in cancer research was the
best way to influence the future. After his
passing, the Foundation was named after
both him and his late father.
“I think the greatest gifts that one can
give are hope and an opportunity to
others to realise their dreams, and this
is exactly what I have been given by the
Ong family through this Scholarship. I
am truly very thankful,” expresses the
Malaysian Chinese student. The aspiring
scientist is highly inspired by stories
of those who have made a difference
in people’s lives through research and
discoveries in the medical field.
To find out more about
advancing knowledge through
a named PhD scholarship,
please contact askdvo@nus.
edu.sg or call 1-800-DEVELOP
(1-800-338-3567).
She says, “The experiences and
knowledge that I have gained while
working in NUS further strengthened
my passion for medical research and
deepened my dream and aspiration
to be able to make a difference
through medical research that would
positively impact the lives of people
and society in the future.”
That is exactly what the Foundation
hopes for for the recipients of its
Scholarship – that they should never
forget the hardship and sacrifices
they experienced and always
remember to help the less fortunate
when they are able to.
Partner with NUS in
influencing the future. To
explore setting up a named
PhD scholarship, please
contact askdvo@nus.edu.sg
or call 1-800-DEVELOP
(1-800-338-3567).
6 Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarships
The Power of Potential | 7
PhD scholars help solve
difficult problems
Kamonlawan Chomchopbun
Faculty of Science
What is the subject of your PhD thesis?
The Lee Kong Chian Graduate Scholarship, the University’s most
prestigious scholarship award for graduate students, was established
with gifts from the Lee Foundation. Three recipients share their reasons
for undertaking research and the difference the Scholarship has made.
My PhD is about searching for potential drugs from medicinal plants. I am
working on malaria – an infectious disease that is jeopardising people’s
lives especially in the tropical regions. In addition, similar to other
infectious diseases, drug resistance is on the rise. Hence, it is crucial
to find novel treatments to fight the infection. What I do is extracting
compounds from plants and testing them for anti-malarial properties,
hoping to identify drugs that might potentially be the cure for malaria.
Why do you enjoy doing research?
To me, research is about the journey to find answers to unanswered
questions. It is difficult. It is very time-consuming. At times, it can be very
stressful. The constant learning and challenges that we face daily are
what repel many people away from research but they are also the charms
that keep some of us in the field. At the end of the journey, we may not
find the answers to the questions we set out to answer but I truly believe
that we will definitely stumble upon answers to other questions or even
totally new unanswered questions as we go along.
Wang Yeli
NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health
What is the subject of your PhD thesis?
My PhD focuses on using different blood biomarkers to predict or
understand the mechanisms of developing type 2 diabetes. My PhD
thesis will generate knowledge that could be applicable to disease
prevention, or identify risk biomarkers that could be developed for early
detection or screening of type 2 diabetes.
What difference has the Scholarship made to you?
Choosing a PhD over working means one less source of income for my
family. The Scholarship does not only change my life, it also changes
the lives of my parents and my siblings. It frees them from worrying
about me and lessens my worries for them. The Scholarship allows me
to pursue my dreams of touching the lives of others. If I am successful,
the Lee Kong Chian Scholarship will have a great share of the credits. It
indirectly benefits them, allowing them to benefit others and pass on this
gift of kindness. Thank you.
Why do you enjoy doing research?
I enjoy doing research very much because research is tackling existing
problems, therefore, it can make the world a better place to live in. In
addition, I like the process of exploring unknown things and I really enjoy
working with a group of smart and kind people. Moreover, research offers
me an opportunity of constant learning and it keeps reminding me to be
humble, because there are so many things I do not know.
Work with NUS to help answer the
world’s questions. To discuss making a
gift towards a named PhD Scholarship,
please contact askdvo@nus.edu.sg or
call 1-800-DEVELOP (1-800-338-3567).
What difference has the Scholarship made to you?
Continued from page 1
First of all, this Scholarship is a great honour for me and has brought a
lot of recognition and attention since starting my PhD study. Second of
all, it has brought me more opportunities and responsibilities. Recently,
I was selected as the student representative in our School for Masters
and PhD students, to bring the student body together, and this is a great
opportunity to serve the students and exercise my leadership ability.
Additionally, living in Singapore is quite expensive, and thanks to the
Scholarship, all my basic needs are met and I can focus more on research.
Phua Chao Rong, Charles
Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy (LKYSPP)
What is the subject of your
PhD thesis?
My PhD thesis examines how
pragmatism is used differently by
China, US and Singapore policymakers
in foreign policy making. Pragmatism is
often loosely used but under-theorised.
I strongly believe pragmatism is
important to both practitioners and
academics and can serve to enhance
collaboration between both worlds
for the betterment of society. One
needs to be pragmatic (be realistic by
not being ideological, experimentally
explore multiple means to an end and
humbly recognise the limits of humans)
in order to navigate and solve problems
in our increasingly complex world.
Pragmatism can serve as a compass.
Why do you enjoy doing research?
I enjoy doing research that can inform
policy. Research and knowledge
creation are critical drivers of our
humanity’s progress. Academics have
an important social function: help the
masses understand and possibly explain
complex phenomena through rigorous
theorisation and crystallisation of
insights across time and space. I enjoy
being an agent in this process.
What difference has the Scholarship
made to you?
The NUS Lee Kong Chian Graduate
Scholarship has offered me the
opportunity to pursue my academic
endeavours and use my public policy
skills to contribute to society. There is an
intrinsic motivation for me to live up to
the ethos of the Scholarship by excelling
in academics, leadership and service to
LKYSPP, NUS, and Singapore.
“If you make
a gift of a PhD
scholarship, you
are contributing
to doing research
which is going to
help solve some of
the most difficult
problems that
society faces.”
Why do we need to offer PhD
scholarships?
When students come for their doctoral
studies, they are not just absorbing
from the university, but they are also
giving back to the university and to
society. So everywhere in the world,
PhD students are supported during their
doctoral studies for these two reasons:
to recognise that they are already
working as researchers and to defray the
opportunity cost of having alternative
employment. They could just choose not
to do a PhD, especially the bright ones
who have a lot of career choices. And,
because we want the very best to come
to the university to do a PhD and to
contribute by doing research, we have to
support these students. There is no
other choice.
What does a typical scholarship fund?
The scholarship usually funds tuition
fees, as well as a cost-of-living monthly
stipend. Many scholarships will offer
extras such as a settling-down allowance
and a computer allowance which could
make a scholarship more attractive to
good students. One of the important
things about doing research is the ability
to present your work at conferences, so
a scholarship may include support for
conference travel.
How does NUS compare to our peers?
We receive a lot of strong support in
the form of PhD scholarships from
the Singapore government to nurture
our doctoral programmes. We are
tremendously grateful for that. But, we
have the capacity to do more and would
like to do more by nurturing a larger
number of talented students.
In some of the other top research
universities in the world, the number of
PhD students per faculty member can
range from 1.6 to 5. We are somewhere
towards the lower end of that spectrum.
And we are doing an excellent job. The
top students are recognising it and more
students are applying to join us.
And therefore, having other sources of
funds will enable us to do research at a
greater intensity.
Why should a donor consider a gift to
PhD Scholarships?
If you make a gift of a PhD scholarship,
you are contributing to doing research
which is going to help solve some of
the most difficult problems that society
faces. You are then making a gift to make
the future better, for your descendants
and for everybody. And you are helping
support a talented student, a talented
young person, to achieve their passion for
research. To create this future generation
of researchers and faculty members is
like buying insurance for our descendants
for the future. This is a fantastic way of
investing your gift money for the future of
NUS, the future of research, the future of
society, the future of Singapore and the
future of young dreams.
“To create this
future generation
of researchers and
faculty members is
like buying insurance
for our descendants
for the future.”
8 Loyal donor sets up scholarship in parents’ memory
Scholarship honours
PARENTS’ belief in education
The Ng Peck Lian and Tan Teng Hian Scholarship was established by a loyal
NUS donor and alumna, and her husband, to honour her late parents-in-law.
“It is fitting therefore
that we should set up this
Scholarship in their names
to honour them and their
legacy to their progeny.”
“My husband feels strongly that what he and his siblings
are today, they owe to their mother and father. It is fitting
therefore that we should set up this Scholarship in their
names to honour them and their legacy to their progeny: a
legacy of honesty, hard work and frugality, time honoured
values of filial piety, a deep sense of responsibility and care
for kith and kin and for the less fortunate and needy.”
Mrs Tan, who was conferred the NUS Distinguished
Alumni Service Award in 2009 and the FASS Inaugural
Distinguished Arts and Social Sciences Award in 2015,
spends her time helping NUS and FASS reach out to alumni
to invite them to return to their alma mater to help build
a culture of giving and philanthropy. She also tries to
engage and connect friends whose generosity can make a
difference in the lives of deserving students.
Mrs Tan (left) with Prof Lily Kong, former NUS Vice Provost (Academic
Personnel), at an event at Shaw Foundation Alumni House.
As a teacher and school principal for many years, Mrs
Tan Suan Imm (’61) believes that nothing is nobler and
more satisfying than helping bright, young and deserving
students get a jump-start in life through education.
She has accordingly over the years supported the NUS
Annual Giving campaign, which was launched in 2005
to engage alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends to
seek their ongoing support for students. She has also
contributed regularly to the Student Advancement Bursary
Fund at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).
Together with her husband, Dr Tan Thian Hwee (’62), who,
like her, was a bursary recipient, she has made a new gift
to NUS to establish the Ng Peck Lian and Tan Teng Hian
Scholarship, named after her late parents-in-law who
always placed a high premium on education.
Mrs Tan shares, “My father-in-law was educated in Raffles
Institution and worked as a clerk. My mother-in-law, a
housewife, was a strong and remarkable woman who,
through frugality and resourcefulness and great personal
sacrifice, was able with my father-in-law’s modest income
and support, to put all her six children - three elder
daughters and three sons - through school.
Mdm Ng Peck Lian and Mr Tan Teng Hian ensured
all their children received an education.
To explore making a gift, such as setting up a
scholarship, in honour of a family member, friend
or colleague, please contact askdvo@nus.edu.sg
or call 1-800-DEVELOP (1-800-338-3567).
NUS and PDPA
In Singapore, the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (“PDPA”) establishes a data protection law that governs the collection, use and disclosure of your personal data.
In line with this, the University has updated the Standard Terms & Conditions for Gifts to comply with the PDPA.
You can find the latest version of the document on our website: www.giving.nus.edu.sg.
Should you have any questions about giving to NUS, please email askdvo@nus.edu.sg or call us at 1-800-DEVELOP (1-800-338-3567).
Development Office
National University of Singapore
Shaw Foundation Alumni House #03-01
11 Kent Ridge Drive, Singapore 119244
Tel: + 65 6516 8000
Fax: + 65 6775 9161
Email: askdvo@nus.edu.sg
Website: www.giving.nus.edu.sg