“The establishment of the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship is a small step we are taking in the hope that others will be encouraged to come forward and give back to the community. This Scholarship aims to provide financial support for needy SMU Malay undergraduates whom we hope will “pay it forward” to the larger community. The criteria for the selection of candidates will not only be based on their academic excellence but also on their acumen in contributing to the community,” said Chairman of MERCU Learning Point Mr Mohd Azmi Muslimin.

“SMU’s broad-based and rigorous curriculum delivers both depth and breadth, and equips students with a total skill-set consisting of hard knowledge skills, soft people skills and the “heart” skills. Its emphasis on giving back to society where all students have to complete 80 hours of community service and take a class in Ethics and Social Responsibility, together with the global exposure and internship opportunities that it offers its students, resonate with our beliefs of the qualities an excellent university should possess,” he continued.

Mr Muslimin was speaking at the launch of the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship at SMU on 12 November 2015. This is the first scholarship for Malay Singaporean undergraduates at SMU.

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information, Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security & Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, graced the occasion as the Guest-of-Honour, and presented the inaugural recipients with the Scholarship at the ceremony. They are Ms Nur Amalina Binte Saparin (final-year student, School of Law), Mr Khairul Ashraf Bin Khairul Anwar (third-year student, School of Law), and Mr Muhammad Hafiz Bin Kasman (third-year student, Lee Kong Chian School of Business). 

SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer and Chairman of Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) Mr Azmoon Ahmad, as well as more than 50 members of the SMU Community, AMP and MERCU Learning Point were also present at the event.

[Caption: The inaugural recipients of the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship are (L-R) Nur Amalina Binte Saparin, Muhammad Hafiz Bin Kasman, and Khairul Ashraf Bin Khairul Anwar.]

MERCU Learning Point, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), together with a senior Singaporean investment professional and a senior Singaporean banker, have come together to contribute $600,000 to establish the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship (Scholarship) for full-time Malay Singaporean undergraduates who are in year two to year four and enrolled in any of the six schools at Singapore Management University (SMU).

The Scholarship aims to inspire needy SMU Malay students with outstanding academic results as well as commendable record of co-curricular activity and/or community service involvement to scale greater heights of excellence.

With 1-to-1 government matching, the total sum of $1.2 million will fund three annual scholarships of $12,000 each, commencing this academic year. The Scholarship will offer financial support for the recipients’ school fees and other study-related expenses. Special consideration will be given to candidates with evidence of financial need.

In his speech, SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer said, “On behalf of SMU, I would like to express our sincere appreciation to MERCU Learning Point and the two individual Singaporean donors who prefer to remain anonymous, for establishing this first-of-its-kind scholarship at SMU. This Scholarship will help us ensure that no deserving Malay student misses out on the opportunity of an SMU education because of financial need. I have no doubt it will also help SMU attract more talented Malay youths to our university. Your generous support will take them on an educational journey that is holistic and enriching, giving them the opportunity to maximise their full potential and achieve their career goals.”

President De Meyer also shared that prior to the establishment of this Scholarship, SMU has already been working with AMP to conduct a financial literacy programme for youth beneficiaries aged 12 to 18. The programme equips these youths with essential financial knowledge to give them a firm foundation in managing their money, as well as adopt good financial habits at an early stage in their lives. Since its launch, 60 AMP youth beneficiaries have attended the programme in 2014 and 2015, and discussions are currently underway to continue this collaboration in 2016.

Speaking on behalf of the scholarship recipients, Muhammad Hafiz Bin Kasman expressed his appreciation for the scholarship. “To me, the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship is a significant step in encouraging existing and prospective members of the Malay community in SMU to first of all, be recognised for their contributions to society in parallel with academic excellence; second, build a culture of professional leadership and mentorship with SMU alumnus and SMU seniors; and third, continue improving the representation of the Malay demographic in the areas of business, information systems, social sciences, economics and corporate law.”

Hafiz shared the numerous opportunities he had at SMU to be deeply involved in the areas of sustainability, corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion. “Like many SMU students with us here today, I involve myself in these spaces as I strongly believe in the value of social capital creation, and a life led by doing good, habitually and in perpetuity. Having these efforts recognised with the MERCU-SMU Excellence Scholarship, I am even more motivated in my pursuit of this life agenda.”

[Featured photo: (L-R) Chairman of Association of Muslim Professionals Mr Azmoon Ahmad, Chairman of MERCU Learning Point Mr Mohd Azmi Muslimin, Mr Khairul Ashraf Bin Khairul Anwar, Minister Yaacob, Ms Nur Amalina Binte Saparin, Mr Muhammad Hafiz Bin Kasman, and SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer.]