Estate of Diana Koh Ming Ying gifts $2.4 million to Singapore Management University for the advancement of education
The estate of the late Ms Diana Koh Ming Ying, a respected and accomplished veteran in the accounting and advisory field in Singapore, has established a legacy to support deserving students at the Singapore Management University (SMU) with a contribution of $2.4 million.
The Diana Koh Postgraduate Scholarship and the Diana Koh International Scholarship aim to provide students in financial need with quality education by alleviating their financial stress and motivating them to rise to greater heights in academic excellence. The Diana Koh Social Transformation Programme seeks to support initiatives that champion social transformation in vulnerable communities.
Ms Janet Lim, Administrator of the Estate of Diana Koh Ming Ying, said “Diana’s life was exemplary of someone who made the most of her education, and through hard work and dedication had reached the top of her profession. During her professional life she travelled extensively in the region and would have been proud to open opportunities to deserving students from the region and in Singapore. I hope that this legacy will not only be a support but also an inspiration to the recipients of the awards.”
SMU President Professor Lily Kong said, “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Estate of Diana Koh for its generous gift to SMU for the advancement of education and research. With our rigorous curriculum and distinctive pedagogy, recipients of the two scholarship programmes will be able to scale new heights of excellence and progress towards achieving their education and career goals. The social transformation programme will provide our students with even more opportunities to create meaningful impact in communities with unmet needs. This gift is a strong testament to the confidence that the Estate of Diana Koh has in the quality of our graduates, and will no doubt create a positive and lasting impact on SMU.”
The Diana Koh Postgraduate Scholarship
The Scholarship will be awarded to Singaporean and Singapore Permanent Resident students in financial need who are pursuing postgraduate programmes in Master of Science in Accounting (Data and Analytics) and Master of Professional Accounting at SMU’s School of Accountancy. A total of eleven postgraduate students will be supported under this Scholarship over the next five years, starting in Academic Year 2021-2022.
The Diana Koh Postgraduate Scholarship coincides with the 20th anniversary of the SMU School of Accountancy this year.
Scholarship recipients will be required to have good academic results, and have demonstrated perseverance in overcoming adversity, financial hardship or other difficulties. They should also have contributed services to the community, and possess leadership qualities.
The Diana Koh International Scholarship
The endowed Scholarship aims to provide, in perpetuity, non-Singaporean female students in financial need from the ASEAN region with quality undergraduate education in any of the six Schools at SMU by alleviating their financial stress and motivating them to rise to greater heights in academic excellence.
One bond-free Scholarship will be awarded each year, commencing in Academic Year 2021-2022, and is tenable for the full four-year undergraduate education at SMU.
Scholarship recipients will be required to have good academic results, and have demonstrated perseverance in overcoming adversity, financial hardship or other difficulties. They should also have contributed services to the community, and possess leadership qualities. Priority will be given to students from less-developed countries in the ASEAN region.
The Diana Koh Social Transformation Programme
The $400,000 Programme aims to support initiatives that champion social transformation in vulnerable communities by adopting an innovative approach that is action- and knowledge-oriented.
Administered by the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at SMU, the Programme will commence in Academic Year 2021-2022, and comprises the following:
- Up to twelve local internships or six overseas internships per academic year over five years to support a student internship programme with relevant international and local organisations that are working with vulnerable communities.
A Social Innovation Fund will be set up for interns to tap on to implement innovative ideas for the benefit of vulnerable communities. Post-internship sharing sessions will be organised for interns to share their projects and internship experiences for further learning and knowledge exchange between students and representatives from the organisations.
- Research and capacity-building projects with a focus on creating knowledge and solutions related to social issues which are undertaken by SMU students or faculty in areas such as food security, climate change, access to healthcare and education.
Photo caption: : Signing the Agreement on 14 April 2021 to establish The Diana Koh Scholarships and the Diana Koh Social Transformation Programme at Singapore Management University were (seated, L-R): SMU President Professor Lily Kong; Ms Janet Lim, Administrator of the Estate of Diana Koh Ming Ying; (standing, L-R) Professor Paulin Straughan, Dean of Students; Professor Chandran Kukathas, Dean of School of Social Sciences; Professor Cheng Qiang, Dean of School of Accountancy.
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