“At Mapletree, we believe that access to education, including tertiary schooling, should not be limited to just those who can afford it. It is our hope that our contributions to education will enable more individuals to achieve their aspirations”, said Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd (Mapletree) at a donor appreciation tea hosted by SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer on 14 January 2014.

Senior management of Mapletree, including its Group CEO Hiew Yoon Khong and Group Chief of Corporate Services Ho Seng Chee, as well as SMU senior management members Professor Howard Thomas, Dean of Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Vice Provost (Special Projects) Professor Francis Koh, and SMU Dean of Students Associate Professor Ong Siow Heng, were also present at the event.

Mr Cheng added that Mapletree, a leading Asia-focused real estate development, investment and capital management company, is committed to nurturing and developing local talents who will form the pipeline to sustain Singapore’s future economic growth. To this end, its corporate social responsibility initiatives in Singapore have focused on providing education assistance to various groups including tertiary students. He went on to share that there are currently 11 SMU graduates working in Mapletree.

Established in 2013, the Mapletree Bursary aims to motivate and assist full-time undergraduate students at SMU with demonstrated financial needs to achieve academic excellence. Four bursaries will be awarded annually commencing Academic Year 2013-14 and in perpetuity, offering financial support towards the recipient’s annual tuition fees and/or study-related expenses. Each bursary is tenable for the recipient’s one year of study. The recipient may be offered internship and/or recruitment opportunities by Mapletree or its designed companies.

[Photo: SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer (right) presenting a memento to Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd]

Expressing his appreciation to Mapletree for its generous donation, Professor Arnoud De Meyer said, “The generosity of our donors has contributed much to the rapid growth and development of SMU. We are encouraged that they share the same belief in the difference the SMU pedagogy brings to tertiary education and our unique approach in grooming students who are confident, dynamic and socially conscious young individuals.

“We are very glad that Mapletree too shares SMU’s vision and mission. Your generous contribution will help us ensure that no deserving student misses out on the opportunity of an SMU education because of financial need.” 

The inaugural recipients of the Mapletree Bursary are undergraduates Josephine Ong Hui Gek, Len Jie Long and Song Wan Ning from the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, as well as Angela Toh Yan Ying from the School of Economics.

[Photo: Josephine Ong, one of the recipients of Mapletree Bursary, sharing her overseas community service experience and aspirations at the donor appreciation tea]

Speaking on behalf of the bursary recipients, Josephine Ong expressed her appreciation for the bursary award which would go a long way in lightening the financial load on her parents. Josephine, who is Vice President of Special Interest & Community Service Sodality, then shared her experience about an overseas community service programme in which she and her team helped raise the interest of English among the children in Santang Village, Guangdong Province, China. “During the trip, I saw how the students’ positive attitude in life amidst their difficulties transformed into hunger for learning. This was an eye opening experience for me as it made me realise how fortunate I am, where our schools, organisations such as Mapletree and the Singapore government are always willing to lend a helping hand to students with financial difficulties such as myself.”

On her aspirations, she shared, “My dream is to set up my own events planning company to help others plan for their special occasions. Someday, I would like to plan, organise and sponsor events for the less fortunate as a way of giving back to the society where I am so blessed to be given many opportunities to grow.”

[Featured photo: (Back row, from left to right) Mapletree’s Group Chief of Corporate Services Mr Ho Seng Chee, Dean of SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business Professor Howard Thomas, Mapletree’s Group CEO Mr Hiew Yoon Khong, Mapletree’s Chairman Mr Edmund Cheng, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer, SMU Vice Provost (Special Projects) Professor Francis Koh, and SMU Dean of Students Associate Professor Ong Siow Heng, with the proud recipients of the Mapletree Bursary (front row, from left to right) Josephine Ong Hui Gek, Song Wan Ning, Len Jie Long and Angela Toh Yan Ying at the donor appreciation tea]