The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation awarded scholarships and awards amounting to RM11.7 million to 1700 students of Sunway University and Sunway College recently.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah (in suit) with the 13 Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Community Scholarship recipients
The scholarships were mostly need and merit-based including a new scholarship category for higher degree students. The scholarship that the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation is most proud of is the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation Community scholarship which was presented to 13 individuals from the underprivileged community and those from Homes such as Rumah Keluarga Kami, Rumah KIDS and Rumah Ozanam.
Under the talent category, there were scholarships presented for Sports and Music.
Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah (second from left) with the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation- Sunway Berhad Scholarship recipients.
The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation is the first-of-its-kind in Malaysia within the field of private higher education, modeled along the lines of one of the oldest and most eminent universities in the world, Harvard University. The ownership and equity rights of the Sunway Education Group, to which Sunway University and Sunway College are a part of, have officially and legally been transferred to the Foundation.
Governed by a Board of Trustees, the not-for-profit Foundation ensures that assets, funds and operating surpluses are used to perpetuate the cause of bringing quality education to future generations of deserving Malaysian students. It continues the mandate of the Sunway Education Trust established in March 1997, and both entities have disbursed more than RM92 million in scholarships to more than 13,000 students to date.
The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation was launched on 18 March 2010 by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, in the presence of its Royal Patron, H.R.H. The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj.
The Guest-of-Honour at the ceremony was Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah AO, Founding Trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation. Tan Sri said in his speech “You should all be proud of how far you have come and of what you have worked to accomplish. The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation was founded on the premise of giving back to society and as beneficiaries of the scholarships, I hope that you will keep the spirit of giving back to society close to your heart in all aspects of your life. Regardless of the area of study you embark on, I hope that you will rise to the occasion in championing this spirit of giving and that it will filter through in both your personal and professional lives”.