On June 7th 2011, an awards ceremony for the Serge Dumont – Tsinghua Communications Scholarship was held at the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication. Mr Serge Dumont, founder of the Serge Dumont Fund and Vice Chairman, Chairman Asia Pacific, Omnicom Group Inc., presented the award together with Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary General of the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF) and Mr. Mark Stirling, Country Coordinator, UNAIDS China.

Mr. Dumont, a communications expert with more than 30 years of experience in Greater China, started the Serge Dumont – Tsinghua Communications Scholarship in 2004. Administered by the CYDF, the fund encourages talented students to pursue careers in strategic communications and public relations. The scholarship chooses a topic each year and calls for papers from students at the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication. Contest winners are granted scholarships and internship opportunities.

This year, the scholarship encouraged students to explore “The Impact of Country-of-Origin Issues on the Global Expansion of Commercial Brands,” with a focus on products that are “Made in China” (MIC). Students were asked to consider questions such as the following:

• Does the MIC designation help or hinder the globalization of Chinese brands?
• How can China’s government support Chinese brands?
• How can Chinese brands implement their global expansion through public relations and strategic communications?

Of the 37 proposals received this year, seven won awards after a competitive evaluation. A Proposed Globalization Strategy for Tsingtao Beer, by Deng Ran and Zheng En, took first prize. Yue Yuan won second prize with her paper, entitled, Shanghai Jahwa: Making an Herborist a National Icon . The first and second prize winners will also receive a three-month internship at UNAIDS, either at the organization’s global headquarters in Geneva, in its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Bangkok, or in its Beijing Office.

Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary General of the China Youth Development Foundation, praised the cooperation between the Serge Dumont Fund and CYDF. “Mr. Dumont is the one and only foreign member of the board of trustees of the China Youth Development Foundation, and we work closely in various ways. CYDF will continue providing resources and assistance to the Serge Dumont Fund for its programs. I am delighted to meet this year’s eight winners.” Mr. Tu encouraged students to learn from Mr. Dumont as a role model, and to “surpass their master” someday.

(Pictured: Mr. Tu Meng, Secretary General of the China Youth Development Foundation)

UNAIDS, one of the strategic partners of the Serge Dumont Fund, has provided enormous support since the fund started by offering unique internship opportunities each year. UNAIDS arranges broad training courses ranging from computer skills to business administration. Students also receive real-world experience in UNAIDS communication programs and make their own contribution to HIV/AIDS prevention.

(Pictured: Mr. Mark Stirling, Country Coordinator, UNAIDS China)

“ The opportunities provided by the Serge Dumont – Tsinghua Communication Scholarship are invaluable in teaching Chinese students about HIV/AIDS and related social development issues,” said Mark Stirling. “I believe this will have a positive impact on their future careers, and will encourage them to keep engaged in advancing the cause of HIV/AIDS prevention through informed journalism and strategic communications.”

(Pictured: First Prize Winner Deng Ran and Zheng En)

Zheng Ran, the first prize winner, will soon start an internship in Geneva. “Frankly, I have been dreaming about receiving the award since applying for the scholarship,” he said. “I think it is the same for all the students entering the final round of competition. The Serge Dumont Scholarship has completely changed my life.”

Mr. Dumont concluded, “This is the seventh time we have awarded this scholarship at Tsinghua University, and as always, I am impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and great performance. This is a special year, being Tsinghua University’s centennial anniversary, so we had to select an important and relevant topic. This year’s theme, “The Impact of Country-of-Origin Issues on the Global Expansion of Commercial Brands,” is indeed very relevant to the communications industry in China, since global expansion requires an effective strategy, and solid public relations and marketing programs to support that strategy. Most importantly, the successful globalization of Chinese brands requires talented communications practitioners with a global point of view – just like the students we’ve meet here at Tsinghua.”

(Pictured: Professor Shi Anbin, Deputy Dean of Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication)

Professor Shi Anbin, Deputy Dean of Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication, and Professor Fan Hong, Academic Director of Research Office of Public Relations and Strategic Communications also presented the awards.

(Pictured: Professor Fan Hong, Academic Director of Research Office of Public Relations and Strategic Communications)

To date, more than 100 students have received awards from the Serge Dumont Fund and 17 have been selected for internships at UNAIDS offices.

For more information, please contact:
Mr. Liu Zhao, Secretary General, Serge Dumont Fund
alan@alanliu.com