Boston University announced that it has established a scholarship fund and is accepting donations in memory of Lu Lingzi, the Chinese graduate student who was one of three people killed in last week's bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon: BU Scholarship to Honor Lu Lingzi.Trustees created the Lu Lingzi Scholarship Fund in response to an outpouring of support from alumni, friends and others, initially committing $560,000 to honor her memory. The fund has since quickly grown to $716,000, thanks to contributions from more than 600 donors from 14 countries:
After learning of the death of Lu (GRS’14) and of the severe injuries to another BU graduate student, alumni, residents of Lu’s hometown in China, and others around the world have asked through Facebook, Twitter, and several U.S. consulates in China what they could do to honor the students and memorialize the tragic events of the day, Feld says. Since Lu’s death was reported, there have been more than 6,000 posts, “likes,” and shares expressing condolences and support on BU Alumni Association social media outlets.Contributions to the Lu Lingi Scholarship Fund can be made here.
“But there was no central place to donate, and we asked ourselves, ‘What could we do to honor her memory, today and tomorrow?’” says Feld, who is chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. The answer was clear, he says. “A scholarship fund in her name will be there forever; people can contribute to something that is ongoing.” Within 10 minutes of Feld’s proposal, the committee had raised the initial funds.