Xiamen University is founded by Tan Kah Kee and is a university nourished with the spirit of Tan Kah Kee. For 96 years, members of Xiamen University have been moved by his oath that he would rather sell off his property to support the founding of Xiamen University. Inspired by the spirit of Tan Kah Kee, faculties and students of Xiamen University gratify Tan Kah Kee’s kindness and appreciate education they receive, forming a historical and cultural tradition of providing support to their alma mater in various forms. The continuous love from alumni is the most precious fortune of Xiamen University and pushes it forward to achieve its "Two Centenary Goals" and become a world-class university.
Xiamen University "Alumni Scholarship" is set up with the aim of "developing fond feelings for the alma mater and encouraging young talents" and with the principle of "helping needy students and loving the alma mater". For personal donation, each donation cannot be less than 10 Yuan and scholarship can be named after donors who donate more than 6,660 Yuan or foreign currency equivalent to 6,660 Yuan at a single time (the total amount of tuition and housing fees for an undergraduate student in Xiamen University). For collective donation, scholarship can be named after a group such as a local alumni association, a class, or a dormitory if that group donates 35,000 Yuan or foreign currency equivalent to 35,000 Yuan at a single time.
For three years, "Alumni Scholarship" has received warm response and support from the alumni. Thirty-six scholarships in the name of alumni have been set up and the total donation reaches 5.916 million Yuan, helping 505 students. Among them, the total amount of "Chinese Gulang Scholarship" jointly donated by the alumni from Department of Chinese has reached 1.27 million Yuan. Yao Ming, president of Xiamen Alumni Association, 1985 alumnus from Department of Business Administration, and chairman of Yama Ribbons and Bows Co., LTD and Zhangzhou Alumni Association donated one million Yuan at a time. Besides, there are alumni who regularly invest in and set up scholarship like Li Guigen, vice president of Shenzhen Alumni Association, 1979 alumnus from Department of Computer Science, chairman of Shenzhen Jinmeiwei Electronic Group and Tang Dajie, secretary general of Shenzhen Alumni Association, 1992 alumnus (master) from Department of Finance, general manager of Shenzhen High-tech Investment and Guarantee Co. Ltd. Both of them said that they would annually donate 100,000 Yuan since 2016. Sichuan Alumni Association have subsidized freshmen in impoverished financial conditions from Sichuan for three years and they promised that they would continue to do so. In addition to these, there are a number of alumni who donate and set up "Alumni Scholarship" named after them for two years such as Sun Xiaoli, Lv Zhufeng, and Chen Jian. Sun Xiaoli is president of Shenzhen Alumni Association, 1981 alumna from College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, chairman of Shenzhen Mrs Chefs Co., Ltd. Lv Zhufeng is vice president of Ningde Alumni Association, 2002 alumna from Department of Communication Engineering, deputy chairman of Ningde Xingyu Technology Co., LTD. And Chen Jian is 1989 alumnus from Department of Law.
It is worth mentioning that Chen Hantao specifically subsidized international students. Chen is honorary president of Thailand Alumni Association, 1957 alumnus from College of Foreign Languages and Cultures, president of Thailand Hollywood International Co., Ltd, Hollywood Glasses Co., Ltd, Universal Scientific Instruments Co., Ltd, National Defense Science and Technology Co., Ltd. In addition, we were also moved by a special donor who did not graduated from Xiamen University. Her name is Yin Fengjuan, wife of a deceased alumnus named Shen Yongren. She donated her retirement savings 250,000 Yuan to Xiamen University, in which 150,000 Yuan would be used to set up "Yin Fengjuan Alumna Scholarship" to help 25 students from poor families.
Meanwhile, 1369 people have donated 636,000 Yuan in scholarships that are not in the name of a person or a group over three years and 95 students have been subsidized. Just two months after the promotion of "Small Donation, Endless Love--Alumni Ten-Yuan Donation", 3081 people have contributed to it and the total donation amounts to 30,810 Yuan.
Today, alumni donation has become a significant work of world-class universities and the annual alumni donation rate is not only an important indicator to measure alumni’s identification for schools but also an important indicator to evaluate whether it is a world-class university because this rate is an objective measure of contact frequency between alumni and their alma mater and of alumni’s sense of belonging to their alma mater. For Xiamen University, donating to alma mater is not only the heritage of Tan Kah-kee spirit, but also the internally-accepted logo and reflection of the culture and spirit of a university. Alumni is the cornerstone of building a first-class University. We are grateful to our alumni for their love and kindness to the school, for the generous efforts they have made for the construction and development of the school. Let us gather the power of love and enthusiasm from alumni and use this power to promote the the development of our alma mater! Wish it a brighter and better future!
