This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 2 (Spring 2013)

Alumnus David Jou supports students with scholarship

For David Jou ’89 CLAS, ’92 Bus, and his family, bridging the distance between UConn and Asia has become a tradition they’d like to share with other students. The Jou Family Scholarship fund will support that goal, providing financial support for international students accepted to UConn and for American students at UConn who study in Asia.

The scholarship fund, established by Jou with a pledge of $25K every year for five years, will also help students with their
travel costs.

“Our training at UConn had a significant impact on our lives and our careers,” says Jou, who received his master’s degree in mathematics in 1989 and his Ph.D. from the School of Business in 1992, while his wife Frances received her master’s degree in mathematics in 1990. Their son graduated with honors from the College of Liberal arts and Sciences with a degree in actuarial science in 2011.

“Time went by almost too quickly for us,” say Jou of his time in Storrs. He returned in 2011 to Ph.D. at the School of Business commencement ceremony when his son graduated.

After receiving his degree from UConn, Jou returned to Taiwan where he taught finance and risk management at National Taiwan University. He also served as chairman of the Taiwan Insurance Institute, a professional think tank, and served as a CEO for a major life insurance company in Taiwan. He is currently the chief financial officer of Taikang Life, one of China’s largest life insurance companies, which is currently preparing for an initial public offering on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

Frances Jou is an associate of the Society of Actuaries and currently serves as an associate professor and head of the Department of Risk Management and Insurance at Ming Chiuan University in Taipei. Both encouraged their son to attend UConn and continue the tradition.

“We would like to see more students from Taiwan going to the University of Connecticut,” says Jou. “And we would like to see UConn students learning more about Taiwan and the rest of Asia, which is an important market in the global economy.”

Jou has fond memories of his mentor, Gene Sellers, who was the assistant dean of the Graduate School of Business. “He was so helpful and supportive of us. I remember telling him that, if I were successful, I would try to give back to the school so it could help develop other talented men and women. I am happy my family is able to make that wish come true.”