November 2007:

TAN SIU LIN ANNOUNCES $1 MILLION DONATION TO
UOG ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION

GUAM:  Five of Dr. Tan Siu Lin’s children are graduates of the University of Guam, and this fact represents just five of the many reasons why of this businessman and philanthropist is contributing a one million dollar gift to the UOG Endowment Foundation.

Dr. Tan is an entrepreneur and philanthropist who is chairman of the Board of Tan Holdings Corporation, a company that is celebrating its 35th anniversary of doing business in Micronesia last november 15,2007.

The gift was presented during a ceremony in front of the UOG Library at 11:00 a.m. on November 15.  In consideration of the gift and the endowment fund that was created for the benefit of the library, the building housing the library was renamed the “Tan Siu Lin Building.”

“The university is honored to accept this generous gift,” said UOG President Harold L. Allen. “These funds will support an information literacy classroom at the library, as well as other programs and projects that will benefit thousands of students now and in the years to come.”

Originally from Quanzhou, Fujian Province, in China, Tan Siu Lin began a shipping and trading business in Hong Kong in 1965. In 1972, the family immigrated to Guam to explore new opportunities.  Today, the company Dr. Tan founded, Tan Holdings does business in more than a dozen industries and is one of the largest conglomerates in the region. 

A long time supporter of education and other charities, Dr. Tan wanted to make a significant contribution to the University of Guam to underscore his belief in the importance of education.  Now nearing 80 years old, he has given of his time and expertise to support a number of successful educational institutions, including  the TSL School of Business and Information Technology at Quanzhou Normal University.

On Tuesday in Saipan, Tan donated nearly half a million dollars to provide assistance benefiting all of the public schools in the CNMI, as well as the new high school building at Saipan International School.

“Dr. Tan Siu Lin is a long time supporter of the University of Guam,” said Foundation Chair Dr. Wilfred Leon Guerrero. “He established a scholarship at the University over 20 years ago in the 1980’s, and many students over the years have been able to pursue their academic goals due to his generosity.” On October 5, five students at the University of Guam each received Tan Siu Lin scholarships.

The Tan Siu Lin $1M gift is the third time the UOG Endowment Foundation has received a contribution of this magnitude. “I am pleased to announce, due to the generous gifts from our benefactors, that the Endowment Foundation has raised  over $6 M dollars in recent years,” said Endowment Foundation Executive Director Flora Baza Quan.

For more information about Tan Holdings, please see the company’s website at www.tanholdings.com.