Hsiaos honored at U of M

Fred and Jennie Hsiao were honored at a reception at the University of Minnesota on Oct. 12 when they were inducted into the Trustee Society of the President’s Club—the University’s premier donor society. The Trustee Society recognizes generous donors whose giving has exceeded US$100,000. The Hsiaos were also recognized as members of the Heritage Society—a group of donors who have included the University of Minnesota in their estate or financial plans.

Fred and Jennie Hsiao

The Hsiaos have supported the University through gifts made to inter-collegiate athletics, the Institute of Technology, and the China Center. More than 30 students have been awarded a “Hsiao scholarship” through the China Center for academic study or research in mainland China and the Shaw-Lundquist/Fred and Jennie Hsiao Fellowship was awarded for the first time this year to graduate student Yi Fan.

Fan, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in civil engineering, was present at the event and spoke on behalf of all students who have benefited from the Hsiao’s generosity. “Thank you for giving me great financial support for my academic research. With this support, I can get the necessary experimental and computational supplies and equipment…these materials greatly advance my research progress; especially by giving me a chance to perform some experiments that I could not perform before.”

In addition to the gifts already given, the Hsiaos have made a future commitment to the Confucius Institute. That gift will benefit school-age children statewide by exposing them to high-quality Chinese language and culture educational opportunities.

Attending the event were members of the Hsiao family, University of Minnesota Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration, Robert Jones, Associate Vice President and Dean of International Programs, Meredith McQuaid, and representatives from the University of Minnesota Foundation and the Office of International Programs. All present were gathered in a spirit of gratitude for the Hsiaos’ generosity, initiative, leadership and dedicated involvement.

In her remarks, McQuaid said, “Thank you for your gifts; thank you for the example you provide; thank you for appreciating what it is we do here at the University.”