Stanford University praises Mukesh Ambani

Stanford University of US has commended Mukesh Ambani for his decade long support to students keen on pursuing higher studies through scholarships.

Ambani, who had enrolled at the Stanford University for a management degree in the 80s but returned midway due to his father's failing heath, had instituted the Reliance-Dhirubhai Ambani Undergraduate Scholarship Fund for International Students to provide scholarships to bright students.

Martin W Shell, Vice President for Development at Stanford University last month sent a commemorative certificate to Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, to mark the 10th anniversary of the Scholarship programme.

Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellows receive financial support for the cost of tuition and associated fees for each year of the two-year Stanford MBA Programme (about $140,000 (Rs 86.8 lakh).

Listing out students who had have received the scholarship till now, he said, "the assistance made possible by your fund has benefited not only students individually, but indeed, Stanford as a whole". Since its inception, the scholarship has been awarded 29 times to a total of 12 undergraduate students.

"Admitting the brightest and most deserving students regardless of their ability to pay is one of our fundamental values - and it is a goal we simply could not achieve without the generosity of donors like you. We are very grateful to you," he wrote.

In the commemoration certificate, the University said it recognises "The Reliance-Dhirubhai Ambani Undergraduate Scholarship Fund for International Students which for 10 years has provided scholarships to undergraduate students at Stanford with a preference for students from India .

"Through their words and deeds, these students have demonstrated independence of mind, a capacity for leadership, and a personal commitment to activities intended to improve conditions in the broader community in which they live".