“Professor Tan Teck Meng Memorial Fund” Donor Appreciation Tea

In honour of the late Professor Tan Teck Meng, one of the founding members of SMU, and to celebrate his 40 illustrious years in academia which spanned three local universities – the then-University of Singapore (now NUS), Nanyang Technological University and SMU –  SMU established a memorial fund in his name in May 2012.  To date, a sum of $230,000 has been raised to provide financial support to needy students at SMU through two awards, namely the Study Award and the Endeavour Award. 

The Study Award is given to School of Accountancy students to encourage them to strive for academic excellence and to gain a holistic education, while the objective of the Endeavour Award is to celebrate the successes of the students who have demonstrated fortitude and resilience in the face of adversity.  Recipients of the latter Award could serve as role models, as well as an inspiration to other students to persevere in difficult times to achieve their goals.

To recognise those who had contributed generously to the Professor Tan Teck Meng Memorial Fund and who supported the fundraising initiative in one way or another, a Donor Appreciation Tea was held on 8 March 2013 at the Dean’s Office of the SMU School of Accountancy (SOA).  At the Appreciation Tea, two SOA students – Ko Hock Seng (Year 2) and Nigel Ngoh Han Wei (Year 4) were named as the recipients of the Study Award and Endeavour Award, respectively.

Samuel Tan, the son of the late Professor Tan Teck Meng who attended the Donor Appreciation Tea with his mother Mrs Jane Tan, said, “Our family is deeply honoured that SMU has set up this Fund in memory of my dad and that so many have come forward to contribute. He was someone who always had a heart for helping and blessing others.  One of his favourite verses from scripture was ‘freely you have received, freely give’, so I hope this Fund will be a source of help and blessing for many others.”

Paying tribute to the late Professor Tan, Professor Pang Yang Hoong, SMU Vice Provost (Undergraduate) and Dean, SOA said, “Teck Meng and I had been colleagues for over 30 years and I remember him as a remarkable teacher, an outstanding associate and a dear friend.  His unwavering dedication and commitment to learning and knowledge-sharing were evidenced by the many awards he received during his time at SMU, which included the Most Inspiring Teacher Award and Outstanding Achievement in Teaching Award.”

SOA Associate Professor Low Aik Meng, whose friendship with the late Professor Tan traces back to their teenage years, added, “In 1997, Teck Meng was appointed the chairman of a task force to study the setting up of SMU, Singapore’s first autonomous university.  He eventually became the University’s first Provost and Deputy President [in 1998]. The Tan Teck Meng Memorial Fund serves as a timely reminder of all that he has done for the accounting profession in Singapore and for SMU.”

Among the guests who attended the Donor Appreciation Tea included SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer; family of the late Mr Thomas Ang, which included his wife Mdm Zoe Tang and his children Sean and Sera; and Mr Mick Aw, advisor to the Tan Teck Meng Memorial Fund initiative.  The late Mr Thomas Ang and his wife had earlier pledged $20,000 to kick-start the Fund.

[Featured photo:  SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer presenting a bouquet to Mrs Jane Tan, wife of the late Professor Tan Teck Meng at the “Tan Teck Meng Memorial Fund” Donor Appreciation Tea.]