Description and Qualification
Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation would like to recognize up to two current students and/or teams of students at the High School Affiliated to Fudan University, who have made special contributions to a community outside of the school and family. The award recipient(s) should have demonstrated sensitivity in identifying unmet needs in a community, taken significant initiative in mobilizing resources and in designing solutions, and made meaningful steps towards the betterment of the community. The specific contributions can be delivered in a variety of forms including but not limited to labor, time, skill, financial support and physiological care. It is important, however, that the recipient(s) regard the process as a transformation in shaping his/her/their understanding of the self as well as the “real world” at large. The award would represent a token of appreciation and encouragement from the overseas Fudan Fuzhong alumni, and would allow the individual or the group to serve as a role model in inspiring fellow students in their civic life.
Amount
RMB 5,000 per person/group
Application
Candidate, or student(s) who want to nominate a candidate, should submit the following material as attachments by May 10, 2015 to awards@fdfzalumni.org
- An essay limited to 1,500 characters describing the background, motivation, process and impact of the contribution made by the candidate (optional: including a plan for future / further steps to be taken)
- A complete Applicant Info Sheet, which includes:
- Two (2) references -- people other than immediate family members who are familiar with the candidate(s) and the specific contribution made by the candidate(s). Please provide their names, phone numbers including best time to call, and email addresses if any
- Candidate or candidate representative's contact method including email, phone number and mailing address
Selection Process
The executive committee of the Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation will review all the submissions, conduct fact checking / due diligence on the reported accomplishments, and contact references and the school if needed. Based on the qualification of the candidate(s), up to two (2) applicants or applicant groups will be chosen to receive the award on or around May 17, 2015, and will be notified in person via email and letter. The results will be announced on the Foundation website and through alumni newsletter. An awards ceremony will be held by the high school around June 1, 2015.
Q & A:
(Note: Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation will be referred to hereinafter as the Foundation, the Overseas Foundation, or in its full name. The High School Affiliated to Fudan University will be referred to hereinafter as Fudan Fuzhong, Fuzhong, the School, the High School, or in its full name.)
Q1: Who is eligible to apply for this award?
All current full-time students with good standing at Fudan Fuzhong are eligible.
Q2: Does the contribution have to be current or can it be from the past as well?
The contribution can be accomplished either in the past or at present. However, the effort has to be sustainable in the present time in one way or another. In other words, the award should serve as an impetus for the recipient(s) to continue the effort and to inspire contributions of similar spirit to the community.
Q3: If a team wins, how will the money be distributed among the members?
The Overseas Foundation does not arbitrate the manner in which the award money is distributed among the group of recipients. It is subject to the group’s discretion to allocate the money and put it into use.
Q4: Does my essay have to be approved by my teacher?
No, it doesn’t. Your submission will be directly made to the Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation (awards@fdfzalumni.org) with your personal pledge of accuracy. However, the Foundation reserves the right to verify facts with your references, and potentially with the School if the School happens to have direct knowledge of the described contribution.
Q5: How does the selection process work?
The executive committee of the Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation will collect and aggregate all applications by May 10, 2015. The members of the committee will independently review all the applications and make their respective nominations of 2-3 candidates to the committee. The committee will then get together to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the nominees and establish the pro- and con-cases for each candidate. A round of voting will then take place to narrow down the number of final nominees to no more than five (5). If necessary, another round of discussion will ensue followed by yes-or-no voting on each nominee. Each committee member can cast no more than two (2) yes-votes in that round. The two (2) nominees with the highest number of votes will be awarded the prize. If there is a tie or a vote-concentration on one nominee, the committee reserves the right to break the tie or to reduce the number of awardees to one (1) through a final round of discussion and consensus voting.
Q6: If I submit the application but do not receive the award, will that negatively impact my career at Fuzhong and/or my future chance of winning awards from the Overseas Foundation?
No, absolutely not. The decision on your application is made solely for the purpose of this particular award, this time around. It has zero implication on your qualification in any other academic or social setting, nor will it affect, positively or negatively, your candidacy for any future awards given by the Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation. In fact, we will keep all comments made during the decision process confidential -- no one outside of the current executive committee will have access to the record.
Q7: What is the required format of the essay?
The essay should be composed in Chinese, typed and submitted electronically as an email attachment in either MS Word (.doc) or PDF (.pdf) format, with no more than 1,500 characters. Shorter essays will not negatively impact your candidacy as long as they convey all the main points described in the first item of the Application section in the Award Description file.
Q8: Is this scholarship recurring?
Yes, as long as it is financially viable, the Foundation intends to give out the Social Contribution Award on an annual basis.
Q9: Who were the recipients of last year’s award?
Time Bank founder: Ms. Xiaotong Chen the Class of 2015, and HOTS founder: Ms. Zhenyang He from the Class of 2015.
Q10: What is your relation with the school?
Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation was founded in New York City by a group of Fuzhong alumni graduated between 1984 and 2000. It is a not-for-profit charitable organization registered in the State of Connecticut with a US 501(3)(c) tax-exemption status. While the Overseas Foundation remains fully operationally autonomous from the High School Affiliated to Fudan University, it maintains close working relationship with the high school and enjoys full support from the school.
Q11: Can I apply as both an individual applicant and a member of an applicant group?
Yes, but only if the contributions in the respective applications are mutually unrelated. Otherwise, it is limited to one application per person.
Q12: What is the currency of the cash award?
The cash award will be given in RMB ¥5,000. The Foundation will be responsible for exchanging the currency from USD (the current holding of the fund) to RMB at a competitive market rate at or close to the awards day, and delivering it to the award winner via the school.
Q13: Why do you give out merit based scholarship? Can you give money to under-privileged students first?
We made over US$5,000 donations to current Fudan Fuzhong students over the course of the past year solely based on the students’ financial need. We are planning to donate a substantial amount of our fund this year for the same cause. On the other hand, the “Social Contribution Award” is the first ever merit based scholarship the foundation has launched, at a relatively small size (~US$1,600) compared to our need-based contributions. This award is a step toward the eventual goal of awarding both need-based and merit-based scholarships to Fuzhong students. For now, the need-based scholarship is still our top priority and accounts for the overwhelming majority of our fund deployment.
Q14: Where is the scholarship money from? Is the scholarship based on the will of a single donor?
The scholarship is drawn from a pool of funds raised by the Fudan Fuzhong Overseas Foundation from the overseas alumni and friends of Fudan Fuzhong. It is not specifically based on any individual or group of donors’ personal wish. Rather, the executive committee of the Foundation designed the scholarship in order to express and recognize the specific traits and personal values that we believe will benefit the student and the society at large during and after the student’s study at Fuzhong.
Q15: If I have questions not answered by the Q & A, how can I get them clarified?
You can either check back on the awards section of the Foundation website http://www.fdfzalumni.org/social-contribution-award/ to find the updated Q&A, or you can email us at awards@fdfzalumni.org to expect a response within 48 hours.