University fundraising hits $150 million
Five-year 'Thinking the World of Our Future' campaign strikes chord with donors
By Darren Bernhardt, TheStarPhoenix.com
Published: Monday, February 25, 2008
The University of Saskatchewan is beginning its second century on a $150-million footing, thanks to the generosity of 30,000 donors willing to share their wealth.
Its five-year capital fundraising campaign, Thinking the World of Our Future, wrapped up Monday. It is clear many people think the U of S is worth their contributions.
The "vast majority" - or 93 per cent - of donations came from individuals, while corporate donations made up seven per cent of the total, according to Heather Magotiaux, vice-president of university advancement.
During an event held Monday at the University of Saskatchewan, school President Peter MacKinnion announced that $150 million has been raised during its five-year 'Thinking the World of our Future' capital campaign.
"It is an incredible and humbling experience," she said in reference to the outpouring of support.
The grand total far exceeds the expectations set when the campaign kicked off in 2002.
"Our goal to raise $100 million was called optimistic. We achieved that a year-and-a-half before the campaign was over," Magotiaux said during a special event on campus Monday afternoon.
Of the money raised,
$53 million is in direct support of student awards and initiatives, and nearly $40 million is going to research-related initiatives.
President Peter MacKinnon toasted the successful campaign for setting "the foundational building blocks" to carry the university forward as it builds on an international reputation for research and strengthens a national reputation for learning.
He then quoted the first president, Walter Murray, who set out to give the U of S "an honourable place among the finest universities."
"He didn't say, 'We hope to get by,' " MacKinnon quipped. "We've made enormous progress in the last decade and we will continue to do so."
The event was highlighted by a $1.2 million endowment by alumnus David Sutherland, former CEO of IPSCO. A million of that donations, which is included in the campaign total, will be divided between the Edwards School of Business and improving services university-wide for students with disabilities.
A further $200,000 given outside the campaign's parameters, is earmarked for the college of law where it will be used to establish a scholar position for aborignal business law.
Sutherland wanted to give back to the college of commerce (now the business school) which provided his education in the early 1970s. His decision to assist students with disabilities is borne from his daughter's physical challenges.
Born prematurely, she was given a chance at life due to the work of professionals at Royal University Hospital, a teaching institution connected with the U of S.
Using a wheelchair, she now attends graduate school at the University of Illinois, where IPSCO has its operational headquarters. The school is the most advanced in the United States for accommodating those with special needs, said Sutherland.
He hopes to see enhanced services at the U of S to remove any barriers to a "strong educational experience."
"People sometimes ask why someone does this (donates large sums of money), but it's because we, as a family, can," Sutherland said.
In his tenure at the helm of the steel supplier, stocks went from about $8 to $160. Sutherland reportedly made more than $10 million in 2007.
"The words 'thank you' seem incredibly inadequate but they are the words we have," said MacKinnon. "This gift will work to the benefit of our students for generations to come."
At age 100, the U of S is relatively young, so the patterns and traditions being set now "will set the tempo for years to come."
Already,
donations received during the five-year campaign have "dramatically changed" the campus landscape, said Magotiaux.
The football Huskies play in a refurbished PotashCorp Park; there is a new college of law building opening March 14; the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is being expanded; and more than 500 new student awards have been created. Those are just a sampling of the changes helping to make the university globally competitive, Magotiaux said.
"A world of possibilities is now open."
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It was also mentioned (Linda Walker, Global News) that President MacKinnon spoke to the need of affordable housing for students and to expect a response from the U of S later in the year.
Hmmmm....College Quarter perhaps?
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