On April 22, NYU Shanghai Education Development Foundation hosted a Launch Ceremony for the Focus Media Global Talent Scholarship Fund. The event recognized the generous contribution of Beijing Focusmedia Foundation and marked the official launch of the scholarship at NYU Shanghai.
The ceremony was hosted by Assistant Vice Chancellor, Chief Development Officer, and NYU Shanghai Education Development Foundation Board Chairperson Rime Sun. Among the distinguished guests were Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Focus Media Jason Jiang Nanchun and representatives of Focus Media and Beijing Focusmedia Foundation. NYU Shanghai Chancellor Tong Shijun, Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman, and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Pe also attended.
Chancellor Tong opened the event with welcome remarks, expressing gratitude to Focus Media for its commitment to education and international collaborations. He emphasized that charitable contributions mean more than just support and encouragement for the school. “We will certainly live up to your trust and expectations,” he said, “and strive to make the university even better.”
Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman followed with remarks, recalling Focus Media CEO Jason Jiang Nanchun’s visit to NYU Shanghai in 2016 as a guest speaker, where he shared his love for poetry and entrepreneurship stories. He expressed gratitude to Focus Media for ensuring that talented young people from around the world are given an equal opportunity to experience NYU Shanghai’s unique educational environment. “It is critical to our mission that we be able to bring here supremely talented students from families that are not economically privileged,” he said.
Focus Media CEO Jason Jiang Nanchun then took the stage. An alumnus of East China Normal University, he has long supported talent development through scholarship programs at his alma mater, and he praised NYU Shanghai’s educational model. “NYU Shanghai’s international talent cultivation system, which is based on both Chinese and Western backgrounds, is at the forefront of the times,” he said. “We firmly believe that NYU Shanghai students are well-equipped to drive globalization forward.”
Chancellor Tong Shijun and Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman jointly presented a donation certificate to Beijing Focusmedia Foundation in recognition of its generous support.
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Pe brought NYU Shanghai’s student experience to life with an in-depth introduction of the diverse student body. He noted that the scholarship will help students pursue more academic research and career development opportunities without financial worries. He also shared stories of past scholarship recipients who, with support, have made remarkable progress in their academic and professional journeys.
As the ceremony came to a close, both parties voiced their enthusiasm for deepening collaboration in the years to come—across areas such as talent development, career development, and cultural exchange.
