With Nanjing Southeast University (SEU) turning 120 years old, it has received its largest single donation from an alumni to date, some ¥300 million, intended to advance the institution’s plans for its medicine, public health and life sciences research centre.
SEU was 120 years old yesterday, 6 June, 2022. And what better birthday present could there be than the whopping donation to help fulfill its mission? Problem is, the institute need keep mum about the identity of the donor.
But the donation was only anonymous in the name of protecting the donor’s identity, who nevertheless provided SEU with a statement.
As reported by The Paper, the donating alumni said that SEU is the starting point for pursuing a dream. The donation is to help SEU to establish a medical science and technology, and engineering research institute (college) to promote the advantages of SEU, such as medicine, public health and life sciences, and engineering and information technology.
The alumni also said that medical health is one of the four key areas of scientific and technological innovation in China, while COVID has in addition highlighted the urgency and importance of medical, scientific and technological innovation.
It is hoped the donation shall help the newly-established Institute of Medical Science, Technology and Engineering of Southeast University (College) to contribute possible solutions to the major medical health problems facing humanity today.
News of the donation was released by the Uni on 5 June, a day ahead of the anniversary, in an indication that it was made some time ago, but authorities chose to keep the news for such an auspicious date.
SEU began life as Sanjiang Normal College in 1902 and has since gone by no less than five other monikers. Not least among them was during the Republic of China, with Nanjing as the nation’s capital, when the institution was National Central University from 1928 to 1949 and the country’s flagship higher education provider.
Today, SEU has an enrollment of 36,628 full-time students, comprising 16,521 undergraduates and 20,107 graduate students. There are 2,115 international students in SEU, including 1,562 international students with academic qualifications.
Among its other (less generous) alumni are former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek; former Australian senator, Zhenya Wang; and former Microsoft Senior Vice President, Harry Shum. SEU was also the first university in China to become coeducational.
