NUS College’s (NUSC’s) Inaugural Faculty and Staff Giving Campaign, Opening Doors, Closing Gaps concluded at the end of March. Together, we raised $38,300 for priority funds at the College – ensuring that an NUSC education remains accessible to deserving students regardless of their financial background.
The campaign’s success was made possible by generous faculty and staff donors, as well as a dedicated team of seven Giving Champions who helped rally their peers to give to the young College.
One of our Giving Champions, Nur Jannah Binte Mohamed, a senior manager from the Special Programmes team, expressed her motivations for championing the cause. “I benefited from a bursary during my tertiary years and can relate to the challenges a student faces when juggling part-time work and studies. This is one way I see myself giving back, and if more of us come together and give as a collective, we can help more students.”
Her personal story illustrates the ethos of our goal to foster a culture of giving here at NUS College. We are confident that our students and grant recipients will also be inspired to pay it forward in the future, just as our alumni have contributed generously to the NUS College Alumni Bursary Fund.
Dr Bart van Wassenhove who coordinates our Global Narratives pillar stated, “Our students inspire me every day with their enthusiasm, their work ethic, and their wide-ranging interests. They all deserve a chance to focus on their studies and extra-curricular activities without having to worry about paying the bills.” When asked how he hopes our students take advantage of this opportunity, Dr Bart added, “I hope they will think about ‘maximising’ their experience in a thoughtful way that is informed by their values.”
Another faculty member who contributed to the campaign expressed, “I hope that our students think beyond grades and graduate with an awareness of issues of power and privilege. I have seen our alumni advancing to careers that benefit society and I am extremely heartened by it.”
Assistant Manager Lynn Wang from our Global Pathways team who coordinates our international programmes, shared, “I believe in little acts that can go a long way in our students’ experiences in NUS College. As a first-generation University graduate in my family, I personally understand the value of education and how it can create opportunities. NUS College’s motto of Breaking Open the Classroom means extensive options for students to go on internships, overseas experiences, and academic excellence.”
Moved by the enthusiastic response to the campaign, Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of NUS College, added, “Be the change you hope to see. This is what we did. I want to commend our Giving Champions for leading the faculty and staff in advocating for a more inclusive and accessible NUS College. Together, we build a community that practices generosity – giving of their time, energy, and talent, while also giving what they can to support our students financially.”
