[20 January 2009]
Singapore Lions Clubs establish Awards for Social Sciences students at the National University of Singapore and Singapore Management University

Singapore, 20 January 2009 – The Lions Community Service Foundation, the grant-making arm of the Singapore Lions Clubs, has contributed S$75,000 to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU) to respectively set up the Singapore Lions Clubs' Bursary and Singapore Lions Clubs' Study Award. The awards which will be given out over the next three years starting in Academic Year 2009/2010, aim to support the academic needs of financially needy social sciences students at NUS and SMU.

Known for their focus on elderly support, the newly established Bursary and Study Award scheme under the Lions Community Service Foundation widens the scope of the Singapore Lions Clubs' activities to youths in society. Through the awards, the Singapore Lions Clubs seek to make an important contribution in meeting the academic and financial needs of students from the two prestigious universities. The Lions Community Service Foundation will work closely with NUS and SMU in the administration of the bursaries and study awards.

The awards were established at a signing ceremony held at SMU this afternoon to mark the partnership between the two universities and the Lions Community Service Foundation. The Guest of Honour, Hjh Ellis Suriyati, International Director of the Lions Clubs International Board, witnessed the signing ceremony.

“The Singapore Lions Clubs' Bursary will provide excellent financial support to our needy and worthy students over the next three years, and this is especially timely given the current economic slowdown. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), in particular our Social Work Department, has had a long tradition of engagement with the social services sector, and as a result, has produced generations of leaders in the field. The Faculty actively promotes community involvement by its students, and the contribution by the Singapore Lions Clubs underscores the close link which exists between the Faculty and the community service sector,” said Professor Tan Tai Yong, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at NUS.

“The School of Social Sciences (SOSS) at SMU is grateful to the Singapore Lions Clubs and the Lions Community Service Foundation for their generous contributions. Community involvement is always an integral part of the SMU undergraduate curriculum and this contribution reinforces the University's ties with the social sector. The Award will not only support our students in their studies but will further expose them to community service with the Lions Clubs. At the same time, I look forward to our recipients taking the opportunity and initiative to support the work of the Lions Clubs,” said Professor Peter Hedström, Dean, School of Social Sciences (SOSS) at SMU.

The Singapore Lions Clubs' Bursary (NUS)

The Singapore Lions Clubs' Bursary is valued at $2000 and will be awarded to 23 financially needy full-time students from NUS' Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences over a three-year period. Recipients must demonstrate sound academic results and financial need. Applications for the bursary open in February each year.

The Singapore Lions Clubs' Study Award (SMU)

The Singapore Lions Clubs' Study Award, valued at $2000, will be awarded to 15 students from the School of Social Sciences at SMU over three years. Other than good academic results, recipients should demonstrate financial need and possess good co-curricular activities records or community involvement with proven leadership qualities. Besides funding the academic expenses of the recipient, the Award also serves as recognition for students who have achieved or made significant contributions, beyond academic studies, to the University or the community at large. Applications for the award open in April each year.

Applicants for both awards must be Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents. The awards will be given out in the next Academic Year 2009/2010. Recipients of the awards are encouraged to visit and participate in the services and activities being rendered by the Lions Home for the Elders and/or the Lions Befrienders Service.

Annex

NUS Singapore Lions Clubs' Bursary

SMU Singapore Lions Clubs' Study Award

About the Lions Club of Singapore

The first Lions Club in Singapore was established in 1958. There are now a total of 71 Lions Clubs in Singapore. Together they strive to continue being the foremost voluntary welfare service organisation in the country, dedicated to mobilising community resources in providing humanitarian services to the disadvantaged, locally and internationally. Lions clubs will continue to make a difference and to promote a more caring and environmentally friendly society. Lions Clubs in Singapore have been providing dedicated services to the disadvantaged and underprivileged elderly and other welfare needs of the community. In commemoration of 50 years of community service, Lions clubs will be working with tertiary institutions to provide financial assistance to needy students.

About the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, NUS

One of the earliest established faculties in the University, with its origins dating back to 1929, the FASS is also one of the largest faculties at the NUS, with more than 5,000 undergraduate students and over 1,000 graduate students. It has more than 400 Faculty members and 160 executive and professional staff.

The Faculty seeks to achieve the highest standards of teaching and learning in the humanities and social sciences, with emphasis on critical thinking and life-long learning; to strive for excellence and integrity in research, for a better understanding of the world in which we live; to serve the needs of our society by enhancing its intellectual life and contributing to the development of the nation. For further information, please visit www.fas.nus.edu.sg/about/faculty.htm

About SMU School of Social Sciences

The School of Social Sciences (SOSS) at SMU offers the Bachelor of Social Science, the first broad-based multidisciplinary social sciences undergraduate programme to be introduced in Singapore. It is adapted from the prestigious "Philosophy, Politics and Economics" programme at the University of Pennsylvania and Oxford University . Students major in the main disciplines of Psychology, Sociology and Political Science, and have the option of doing a second major or a second degree with disciplines from other schools. The study of social sciences with a focus on business and economics applications in the Asian marketplace as well as the multi-disciplinary and integrative approach to the study of issues are distinctive features of the programme, providing students with indispensable knowledge and skills for careers in applied business and economic enterprises.

SOSS was established as part of the School of Economics & Social Sciences in 1 July 2002. Following a restructure due to rapid expansion of student enrolment and faculty numbers, and to provide greater focus in the development of distinctive curriculums at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels for Economics and Social Sciences, SOSS became a stand alone school in 2007. Today, SOSS has 482 undergraduates enrolled in its three main disciplines and has 64 graduates in its alumni. www.socsc.smu.edu.sg

About SMU Community Involvement Programme

Community service has been part of the SMU curriculum since the university welcomed its first undergraduates in 2000. During the course of a four-year degree students complete a two-week attachment within a community, social or civic organisation as a way of not only preparing students for a school-to-work transition, but to inculcate SMU's inherent culture of giving back to society. Some 5,000 SMU students have completed 80-hours of community service, with half of them giving more than the required 80-hours. Since August 2007, the total number of hours volunteered by SMU undergraduates is about 380,000, which translates to some 130 years of an individual providing an eight-hour day of volunteer service in the community. Within Singapore and overseas, over 45 different Volunteer Welfare Organisations and Non-Government Organisations that have benefitted from SMU's community service programme. Apart from understanding the importance of giving, students become acquainted with career possibilities in the non-profit sector, develop confidence, compassion and self-reliance, new interests and knowledge, opportunities to be creative and to work as a team. It also teaches them to become responsible citizens, and to demonstrate leadership and integrity within the communities they live and work with.