Bursary Endowment

Establishment of the CCDSBC Bursary Endowment

From 1996 to 2002, tuition fees in B.C. were frozen and government funding for advanced education stagnated. With the tuition freeze lifted, UBC had been able to gradually increase tuition to the national average and keep pace with other top Canadian and American universities to continue its commitment to provide a high-quality education. The Faculty of Dentistry at UBC was no exception. Under this new fee structure, undergraduate dental students were faced with a combined tuition and clinic fee of over $30,000 per year.

 

From 1996 to 2002, tuition fees in B.C. were frozen and government funding for advanced education stagnated. With the tuition freeze lifted, UBC had been able to gradually increase tuition to the national average and keep pace with other top Canadian and American universities to continue its commitment to provide a high-quality education. The Faculty of Dentistry at UBC was no exception. Under this new fee structure, undergraduate dental students were faced with a combined tuition and clinic fee of over $30,000 per year.

 

The Chinese Canadian Dental Society of British Columbia wanted to ensure that UBC continues to attract the best, and not necessarily the wealthiest, students. The cost of university education should not be a barrier to access. Therefore, the CCSDBC committed to establishing a new bursary fund, which would generate an annual bursary of over $2,000, awarded to students entering the first year of study in the Faculty of Dentistry at UBC, based on financial need.Having a number of UBC alumni on the Board of Directors, the CCDSBC welcomed the opportunity to support this meaningful initiative during my presidency in 2003-4. In order to raise the necessary funds, we organized a fundraising concert on November 22, 2003 at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts, in conjunction with UBC and the B.C. Chamber Orchestra.

 

It was an astounding success, and great efforts went into ensuring that. We owe much gratitude to all concert participants and donors who enthusiastically supported this event; to Dr. Edwin Yen, Dean of Faculty of Dentistry at UBC, and the staff of the Dean’s Office, who provided much assistance in our initiative; to Mr. Howard Chu, our strategic consultant and liaison with the Orchestra; and to the CCDSBC Board of Directors and Dr. George Ng, our founding president, who all campaigned tirelessly and donated generously.

 

All proceeds from this concert were donated to the CCDSBC Bursary Endowment, which was to be administered solely by UBC.

 

Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the dedication of all the Board Directors of 2003/4 , all the visionaries and all the volunteers. To put this fundraising effort in chronological perspective, I look at the whole initiative as a baby. Was it my baby? No. It was conceived during Dr. Moses Lo’s presidency, gestated during Dr. Theresa Wong’s presidency, and was finally born during mine. With “parents” like Moses and Theresa, this baby has good genes already. Who delivered the baby? I wish I could take the credit. But Dr. Anthony Li was naturally the obstetrician. Being such a monumental force in all of our recent Gala Extravaganza events, he was always around looking over things, and using his wisdom to make sure that this baby received good prenatal care. The rest of the Directors are the womb – surrounding, protecting and feeding the baby during its development. What was I? I guess I was the umbilical cord, simply tying together the vital parties and facilitating exchange. And now that I have completed my mission, I can breath a sigh of relief and fade into the background, where I’m in my natural element.

 

We would like to thank our supporters for caring and giving. It will undoubtedly make a difference in the education of generations of dental students, in our proud province of British Columbia! Your contribution is invaluable. This is your legacy!

 

If you have not been made aware of our initiative, we urge you to be a partner in supporting the Faculty of Dentistry at UBC, and more importantly, the education of future generations of dental students in British Columbia. If you share our vision, and would like to make a difference, please contact us. Although we have successfully met our target, there is no time limit on this initiative.

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Christopher Chung
President 2003/4

May 2004