Building excellence through Ng Kai Wa Scholarship

The Ng Kai Wa Scholarship aims to inspire needy undergraduates studying full-time at the SMU School of Information Systems (SIS) to achieve academic excellence by providing them with financial support towards their costs of education.

At a donor appreciation lunch hosted by SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer on 21 August 2013, Professor Steven Miller, Dean of SIS, thanked Mr Ng Kai Wa for his generous donations, and said “Many current and future generations of financially needy SIS students will benefit from this gift, relieving them of financial burdens and enabling them to achieve a more holistic and meaningful experience at SMU. This is indeed a call for celebrations as SIS celebrates our 10th anniversary this year as well.”

Mr Ng, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of InnoMedia Pte Ltd (Singapore), has served as a member of the Advisory Board of SIS since 2006, and is also a member of the SMU Enterprise Board.

Mr Ng, who built his business success through sheer hard work, pure passion and an entrepreneurial spirit, could readily empathise with students who came from less privileged backgrounds. After graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Mr Ng learned about computers in the 1970s through self-study. In 1981, he co-founded Creative Technologies, and served as its Chief Technology Officer and Vice Chairman until 1995. “I can still remember how I was able to go through school with the help of a scholarship. I trust that this scholarship is of help to all recipients as well. I hope the scholars and all SMU students will embrace this practice of helping others,” he said.

Since its establishment in 2007, the Scholarship has been awarded to 21 students, several of whom were recipients for consecutive years. 

In February this year, the Scholarship was further boosted by a $500,000 gift from Mr Ng, making it the most significant endowed gift received by the SIS from an individual donor to-date, and the longest running scholarship for SIS students from an individual donor.

Mr Jeffrey Tan was one of several past scholars who attended the appreciation lunch. Despite his challenging financial and family circumstances, he graduated from SMU in 2010 with a Cum Laude, and won the University’s Circle Award, which recognises outstanding graduating students who have demonstrated the core CIRCLE values (Commitment, Integrity, Responsibility, Collegiality, Leadership, Excellence) during their studies at SMU.

Jeffrey, who is currently working at Rykadan Hospitality Investments Pte Ltd managing investment services such as business modeling, market research and technology value research, expressed his appreciation to Mr Ng. He said, “I am very grateful to have received the Ng Kai Wa Scholarship for three consecutive years.  It has allowed me to focus on my studies and to live my university life to the fullest by experiencing the world and complete a holistic and broad-based education at SMU.”

Mr Ngoh Jun Dat, a second-year student at SIS and a new recipient of the Scholarship, added “The scholarship is an invaluable gift for which I am most thankful. It will certainly propel me to surpass myself, and support me in the pursuit of my dreams.”

[Featured photo: (Fifth to eighth from right, second row standing) Mr and Mrs Ng Kai Wa, Dean of SIS Professor Steven Miller, and SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer, with past and present Ng Kai Wa scholarship recipients at the donor appreciation lunch.]