As part of a celebration of his 35th year of doing business in Micronesia, educational institutions in the region are receiving $ 1.86 million in donations from entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr. Tan Siu Lin, chairman of Tan Holdings, a group of companies he founded in 1972.
“One of the causes that has always been most dear to my heart is education,” said Tan. “Education is one of the most worthwhile investments a person can make for their future. Therefore, on this milestone anniversary, it gives me great pleasure to give something back to the communities where we do business. I hope these educational donations will be invested wisely and will have a lasting value in benefiting the young people of this region.”
The University of Guam received $1 million at a building dedication ceremony at the UOG Library on Nov. 15. UOG is the largest regional university and the alma mater of five of Dr. Tan Siu Lin’s six children, namely Henry, Willie, Lily, Raymond and Jerry.
In consideration of the gift, the University’s board of regents re-named the building that houses the library as the “Tan Siu Lin Building.” During the ceremony, new signage and a bust of Dr. Tan was unveiled in the presence of university officials, members of the Tan family and approximately 60 guests of the university, including Guam first lady Joanne Camacho.
Also on Nov. 15, Tan presented the College of Micronesia, College of the Marshall Islands and Palau Community College each with $50,000 gifts. The College of Micronesia serves more than 2,200 students in state-run campuses on five islands: Pohnpei, Chuuk, Palikir, Yap, and Kosrae. The school also includes the Fisheries and Maritime Institute on Yap. The College of the Marshall Islands in Majuro is a regionally accredited autonomous community college and the national postsecondary institution for the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
“The College of Micronesia deeply appreciates the gesture made by Dr. Tan in deciding to donate to the college’s endowment fund,” said Charles Musana, president of the College of Micronesia. “This is an investment whose returns will be manifested in the quality of the future workforce of the nation.”
Dr. Patrick Tellei, president of Palau Community College, represented his school in receiving the gift from Tan. PCC has 650 students in fields including Tourism, Pre-Nursing, Accounting and Finance, Criminal Justice, and Natural Resources and General Conservation. The money donated to PCC by Tan will be used to begin the construction of a new library for the school, to be named in his honor upon completion. Tan also pledged an additional $150,000 to be paid out over the course of the library construction project.
On Nov. 13, Tan donated $100,000 to form a scholarship endowment fund at Northern Marianas College. He also presented to Public School System officials a donation of $250,000 for the benefit of each of the public schools of the CNMI, and donated $200,000 to Saipan International School to help fund construction of the new high school building. Giving back to two other schools he helped establish to help promote cultural exchange, he also donated $5,000 each to the Chinese schools of Saipan and Guam.
“As we celebrate 35 years of doing business in Micronesia, we want to thank our public and private partners as well as the communities throughout the region that have helped us build our company into what is today,” said Tan Holdings president Jerry Tan. “Giving back to the communities is a philosophy my father has always stressed and we will continue to follow his commitment to making a positive difference and being part of the economic progress of these islands as we move forward beyond this anniversary.”
Originally from Quanzhou, China, Tan Siu Lin began a shipping and trading business in Hong Kong in 1965. In 1972, he moved to Guam to explore business opportunities and he and his family became U.S. citizens. Founded in 1972, the company now headquartered in the Western Pacific is known as Tan Holdings, a diverse holding company which today operates in more than a dozen industries in the Western Pacific. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.tanholdings.com. (Tan Holdings)
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