The Office of Student Affairs held the virtual Scholarship and Financial Aid Donor Appreciation 2020/2021 event on 30 April. At the ceremony, which was livestreamed on YouTube, the University and student representatives conveyed their gratitude to the donors for their generosity and untiring support over the years. 

In his speech, Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, said that an estimated 2,500 scholarships and 160 bursaries, with a total value of around HK$66 million, will have been awarded to HKBU students by the end of the 2020-21 academic year. He thanked the donors for not only alleviating students’ financial burdens, but also encouraging them to keep up their pursuit of academic excellence and personal development despite the challenges presented by COVID-19. 

Dr Albert Chau, Vice-President (Teaching and Learning), reported on the progress and impact of two prominent funding schemes. He said that the First-Generation University Student Fund has received HK$9 million in donations and benefitted 1,200 students since its establishment in 2017. Meanwhile, the HKBU SEED Fund, which was created under Project SEED (Student Engagement, Enrichment and Development) in 2020, has provided timely assistance to nearly 100 needy students and supported various worthy projects, such as the SEED Incubator and Subsidised Internship Scheme. Project SEED has already received more than HK$10 million in donations in less than a year.