Scholarship donors who have been supporting City University of Hong Kong (CityU) incessantly in the last 20 years or more were honoured at a ceremony held on 25 March to show the University’s appreciation.

Thirteen “l(fā)ong service” donors , including charity funds, professional institutions, companies and individuals, were presented with souvenirs by Professor Way Kuo, President of CityU, at the annual Scholarship and Prize Presentation Ceremony, at which more than 500 scholarships worth over $11 million were given to outstanding students.

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Kuo thanked all donors, in particular the “l(fā)ong service” donors, for their unfailing support to CityU over the years. “Your contributions have brought about great changes in our students and presented them with unique opportunities. I believe that when they graduate and become successful in their careers, they will inherit this tradition and support their fellow students in return. CityU has achieved great success with your support and we will make greater contributions to the advancement of society,” Professor Kuo said.

The longest serving donor, the Li Po Chun Charitable Trust Fund, has been providing scholarships since 1984, the year the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong was established. With the aim of “Encouraging education by awarding scholarships to Hong Kong students studying locally and abroad”, the Fund has carried on with this philanthropic cause for CityU for 25 years.

The Chiu’s family, which resides in the vincinity of CityU, set up memorial scholarships in the names of Mr and Mrs Chiu Fuk San two decades ago to offer scholarships to CityU students exclusively.

Mr Chiu Cho-yuk, the second of the four sons in the family, said they were influenced by their parents’ enthusiasm in education and have chosen to contribute to CityU as the University is in their neighbourhood. He added the scholarships were established with a special purpose.

“We would like to make use of the scholarships to commemorate our parents and at the same time, provide funding support to future engineers in the manufacturing sector as my father used to run a factory but found it difficult to recruit engineers,” Mr Chiu said.

Expressing gratitude to the donors on behalf of the scholarship recipients, Apple Yu Ka-wan, final year student of the School of Creative Media, said the donors’ generosity inspired them to contribute more to society in the future.

“Thank you for making our learning experience a very fruitful one. We promise to dream more, achieve more, love more and give more. We will develop ourselves into better persons; give a hand to those in need; and dedicate our life for the advancement of society,” Apple said.