KAMLOOPS-At its Convocation Ceremony this Friday, The University College of the Cariboo (UCC) will honour Dato’ Nellie Tan Wong, an internationally renowned leader from Malaysia who has distinguished herself as an inspiring and dedicated supporter of women’s advancement and has worked for the past thirty years to create better conditions for women around the world.
Most important to UCC, Dato’ Nellie is co-founder of the Women’s Institute of Management (WIM) in Malaysia, a non-profit organization created to run educational and training programs for the advancement of women. To date, WIM has organized over 228 courses and events which have benefited more than 12,000 participants, and it also administers a development fund which runs free training courses for disadvantaged women.
WIM has formed partnerships with foreign universities and institutions, of which its alliance with UCC is one of the most enduring. In turn, WIM is one of UCC’s foremost partners in international education. Current projects underway include an agreement for WIM to present UCC’s Certified Law Office Assistant program, and an international respiratory care symposium, organized in collaboration with UCC.
“UCC is honoured that Dato’ Nellie has agreed to accept an honorary degree in recognition of her amazing efforts and of the strong relationship that exists between WIM and UCC,” said UCC President Roger Barnsley. “UCC enjoys a very good reputation worldwide, thanks in part to highly respected overseas partners like WIM.”
Dato’ Nellie’s motto in life is “Always strive to be one in a million, and not one of the million,” and her efforts on behalf of other organizations and goals are also eminently worthy. She is active in the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, a sister organization of the Canadian Red Cross, and was a YWCA World Executive Committee Member from 1979 to 1983, and Finance Chair from 1983 to 1987. She was elected a Member of the Board of Trustees, Women’s World Banking from 1984 to 1990, and was the first Malaysian appointed to the Advisory Council of the Global Fund for Women.
She has been appointed to a number of important councils, and has been keynote speaker at conferences and forums worldwide, speaking on women’s leadership and financial issues. She is also the author of six books on finance, project proposals, accounting, and matrilineal kinship systems. Her most recent publication, a Finance Handbook for Entrepreneurs, Professional and Social Workers, has been translated into four languages.
Dato’ Nellie will receive her degree at UCC’s Convocation Ceremonies, to be held at Sport Mart Place on June 11.
