$250K endowed scholarship to support first-gen Shidler students

Sheila Kan Chuang (second from left) and her family (Photo courtesy: Sheila Kan Chuang)

Sheila Kan Chuang (second from left) and her family (Photo courtesy: Sheila Kan Chuang)

Being someone who truly understands the daunting role of being the first in a family to attend college, Sheila Kan Chuang, a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business alumna, has established the Kan-Chuang Hope Endowed Scholarship with a gift of $250,000 to support undergraduate students pursuing a degree at the Shidler college. The scholarship will help students who may be the first generation in their family to attend college.

“We’re grateful for the incredible support we receive from our alumni across the globe. It’s amazing to see our alumni attain international success in their careers after graduation, and Chuang is a shining example of this,” Shidler Dean Vance Roley said. “We commend her commitment to the college, and generous support which allows deserving students to pursue their education goals.”

Chuang was the first in her family to attend a university, and believes her education laid the foundation for her subsequent career endeavors and life journey.

“UH and Shidler college conjures up especially fond memories for me,” Chuang said. “During my time in Hawaiʻi, I encountered a serious medical situation, and the kindness of the people is something I will always hold dear to my heart. It is both an honor and privilege to give back, I hope the scholarship will help others in similar situations to achieve their goals and pursue education.”

Chuang graduated from Shidler college in 1976 with a degree in accounting and received her master’s in business administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Over the course of her professional career, she has held various leadership roles with different affiliates of The ExxonMobil Corporation and retired in 2012 as the senior vice president of ExxonMobil China Petroleum and Petrochemical Corporation.

Chuang has also donated to the collective renovation of the Dean’s Conference Room, completed in 2021 and sponsored by the Hong Kong Alumni Group.

For more information on how to support the Shidler College of Business, contact Kristi Bates, executive director of development at (808) 956-3597 or email Kristi.bates@uhfoundation.org.

About Shidler College of Business

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa was established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration and named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top business schools for international business by U.S. News & World Report. Long recognized for its Asia Pacific focus, the college offers a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The college offers the only graduate program in the state of Hawai‘i and Vietnam accredited by AACSB International. http://www.shidler.hawaii.edu/

About UH Mānoa

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter www.twitter.com/UHManoaNews.

About UH Foundation

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the UH System. The mission of the UHi Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with UH’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. Visit us at uhfoundation.org