ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — February 2, 2023 — Barton College is pleased to announce a significant gift made by Howard Tang and his wife, Dina, for programming and support of international students.
Barton College has a rich tradition of enrolling international students from all across the world dating back to the early 1960s with Dr. Walter Anderson, who was a long-time professor and served as an advisor to these international students. Today, there are 44 international students from 24 countries. The generosity of the Tangs will help provide the educational, professional, and cultural needs of our international programs from pre-arrival correspondence to service-learning experiences. The gift from the Tangs will also help provide emergency funding, support travel costs for students, and support activities associated with International Education Week held in November.
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“International students provide an important global perspective to our Barton community, whether they are undergraduates or graduate students,” said Jacqueline Fisher, Director of International Programs. “The generosity of the Tangs will help our students deeply engage with our community and find a home at Barton,” Fisher continues “Our students have a goal to pursue a lifelong dream of receiving a quality education in the United States of America, and this is enriched by support of the Tangs.”
Now retired from the banking industry, Mr. Tang graduated from Atlantic Christian College, now Barton College, in 1972 majoring in Business Administration while Mrs. Tang graduated from Wake Forest University. Both want to see current and future students who, like them, traveled far from home to experience a quality, liberal arts education from a small, private college.
In addition to the above gift, the Tang’s, both from Malaysia, established an H.W. Tang International Student Endowed Scholarship several years ago to support students from Southeast Asia with demonstrated financial need as well as designating the College as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy designated to their endowed scholarship.
“Dina and I want students from across the world to have the same educational opportunity that was afforded to us,” shared Mr. Tang “Barton is a vital institution, not only in the Wilson community but also across the region. We hope other alumni and friends will join us with philanthropic support and make an immediate impact on the students, faculty and staff, and programs.”
To learn more about making an impactful gift to Barton College, please contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at (252) 399-6318 or visit https://give.barton.edu/online-giving/ to make a gift online.