A May 5 ceremony in the ECLAT Atrium announced the launch of an endowed fellowship program for graduate students in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The new award deepens a growing relationship between the Jindal School and Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, providing life-changing financial assistance to Jindal School students with a preference for those transferring to UT Dallas from Fu Jen or earning dual degrees from both institutions through a special fast-track program.
The ceremony recognized the establishment of the Jindal School Fellowship for Fu Jen Catholic University Students, funded by lead gifts from Fu Jen alumni and ECLAT Foundation founders Jane Jan, Dr. Yih Min Jan and Wayne Chang, all of whom were in attendance. Jennie Kiang, Fu Jen alumna and friend of Jane Jan, was also a major donor for the new endowment. A plaque commemorating the endowment was unveiled at the ceremony next to the atrium that bears the foundation’s name.
Dr. Francis Yi-Chen Lan, Fu Jen president, and Dr. Mei-Juh Huang, dean of Fu Jen’s College of Management, also attended, as did 10 students affiliated with the program’s inaugural cohort.
The gift was matched by the Jindal School, led by Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean, bringing the total amount of the endowment to $500,000. He and a Jindal School delegation had traveled to Taiwan earlier in the semester to strengthen strategic ties with Fu Jen University.
“Endowments are so important for academic institutions because … we the administrators, the professors, we work hard to take care of students,” Pirkul said. “Endowments help to support these students and make it easy for them to get an education, so it is wonderful that way. But there is also a second dimension to endowments — they are not one time; they are here forever. … When we are gone, the endowments will be still supporting the students, so what a wonderful gift to give to education that will last forever.”
During the announcement ceremony, Lan described a lesson taught by his father.
“My father told me education changes lives and if we have any opportunity, if we are able to support disadvantaged students, that we should do so, then this will change your life,” he said.
Huang told the crowd that her hope is that this fellowship becomes a shining example.
“Today we are doing more than launching endowments, the school fellowship,” she said. “We are painting themes of opportunity, hope and global impact.”
Fellowship recipients will include participants in the Jindal School’s fast-track program which allows students to earn both an undergraduate and a graduate degree in as little as five years.
Yunya Fang, an award recipient, explained what the fellowship meant for her academic journey.
“With your generous contributions, I can focus more on my studies and involve myself in community service,” she said. “Receiving this fellowship has inspired me to give back just as I have been helpful on this journey.”
Jane Jan, ECLAT’s co-founder and a Fu Jen alumna, said the idea for this endowment grew out of ongoing conversations with Pirkul and Fu Jen leadership.
“We realized that if we wanted this partnership to thrive, we needed to create a sustainable path for students,” she said. “That’s what this endowment is — an open door.”
Inspired by the Jindal School’s fast-track programs, the degree-program agreement used in this scholarship is called 4+1. It articulates the transfer of credits from a foreign partner institution to UT Dallas based on the guidelines of the current UT Dallas graduate and undergraduate catalogs. It requires adherence to admission and graduation requirements at UT Dallas and the transfer of credits from the foreign partner to an existing UT Dallas degree program. It includes a clear sequence of courses from the foreign university to UT Dallas, including course numbering system, grading system and equivalency of courses between the foreign university and UT Dallas. Normally, up to 25% of the total required credit hours for a master’s degree may be fulfilled with transfer credits. The 4+1 agreement allows for additional credit hours to be transferred above that 25%, but not to exceed 40%.
Melissa Bettis, assistant dean for development and alumni relations at the Jindal School, said she is deeply grateful to the donors for establishing this new endowment.
“It will provide invaluable support to participants in our academic exchange programs,” she said. “This endowment reflects a profound commitment to fostering educational opportunities and cultural exchange. It will enable talented students to pursue their academic dreams. We are excited to see the positive impact this endowment will have on future generations.”
For Jan, who has long been involved in supporting UTD’s international outreach, this gift furthers ECLAT’s commitment to support students with financial need.
“We feel like if we can help any student to broaden their vision, their horizon, and [they are] willing to come study abroad, that really will benefit the rest of their life,” she said. “That’s why we decided to do this.”
