Alumnus Invests in Future

With the start of the new semester, nine international students descended on UT Dallas eager to advance their studies and accelerate their futures. Setting them apart from many of their fellow international students was the generosity bestowed upon them by Yancey Hai MA’78, an alumnus who knows exactly what they’re going through.

A self-professed “poor student from Taiwan,” Hai paid just $13 per credit hour — all he could afford at the time.

“I came to the University as a student with very limited resources,” Hai, a 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award honoree, said. “The support and education I received made so much of my career success possible. I just wanted other students to have the same opportunity given to me.”

Hai made a $100,000 commitment to UT Dallas following a trip back to campus. The chairman of Delta Electronics in Taiwan still remembers his college experience and understands the impact of funding for a student with limited financial resources. That led him to establish the Yancey Hai Fellowship, aimed at supporting international students pursuing master’s degrees through the Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM). Additionally, his commitment includes equipping classrooms with state-of-the-art projectors in the JSOM building addition.

“Since I’m an international student, the expense of studying abroad is a heavy burden for my family and me,” said Yi-Chieh “Regina” Chen, a fellowship recipient from Taiwan who is pursuing a master’s degree in finance. “This fellowship will ease the burden and allow me to concentrate on my studies.”