Shaw Foundation Dr Shaw Vee Meng

S h a w F o u n d a t i o n
d r S h a w V e e M e n g
My attitude towards giving has been greatly influenced by
my own father. he has contributed so much to the building of
schools and universities. he has also often told us that the way
to go forward for a country is to provide the right education to
uplift human capital and to attract the right talents. For that
same reason, we have a heart towards educational causes.
what inspired my father then and myself now to continue
giving is witnessing the outpouring of gratitude from the
recipients of our philanthropic efforts. i have vivid memories of how warmly my father
was welcomed by the schools he has helped to build; and the satisfaction of knowing
that you have managed to help others is truly priceless.
i think in order to inspire the next generation to give, one will have to set a living
example for them to follow and also educate them on the importance of giving back
to society. when they have experienced it themselves, they will believe that by giving
to the University; they are helping to fulfill its objectives and global aspirations.
i think NUS alumni have to return and witness for themselves what the
University is doing. That will fire up their desires to serve through
their respective talents and in different capacities. Both the alma
mater and alumni have wide-ranging interests which create
potential for the alignment of common goals. Besides the
donation of money, the sharing of alumni experience and
perspectives is a valuable contribution to help instill
confidence in the next generation by pointing out
the potential pitfalls in their forays into the
working world.
it is an undeniable trend that our current
generation is more self-serving than past
generations. The challenge of NUS is to instill
a sense of belonging and ownership in its
undergraduates from day one.
Many of us continue to return to Oxford to donate
large sums to its causes, simply because we
acknowledge a debt of gratitude. Many realised
that their chances in life have vastly improved
and many more doors of opportunities have
been opened up to them simply because of the
connections and ties forged during their Oxford college tenure. Many of my peers have
gone on to be in the house of Lords, Sultans or become great industrialists all over the
world. yet our Oxford alumni still make time to travel back to Oxford for class reunions
because we feel a strong sense of pride, bonding and loyalty to our alma mater.
University life has also opened up wonderful opportunities for us to meet people from
all walks of life where we converge and share our diverse aspirations and viewpoints.
college is truly a priceless experience. For the same reason, i think we should consider
admission policies favourable to the children of our alumni in order to continue a
lineage of pride and loyalty to the same alma mater.
D I D Y O U K N O W ?
Dr Shaw did not graduate from NUS; he is an
Oxford alumnus.
S h a w F o u n d a t i o n
d r S h a w V e e M e n g
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