Helping give students a home away from home

By Kate Davis

Raymond Kan, BSc’80, remembers well the feeling of being far away from home in a foreign country—he came from Hong Kong to study mechanical engineering at the University of Calgary. With this first-hand knowledge of the needs of international students, Kan had no hesitation in donating $25,000 toward a student and meeting space at the U of C’s Dr. Fok Ying Tung International House, a new residence for students with accommodation for visiting scholars slated to open in late 2009.

“While I look back on my time at the university with fondness, I know that I would have benefited greatly from living in a place like International House,” he says.

After graduation, Kan spent several years working as an engineer before starting up his own insurance agency. Within 10 years, he had built his organization into one of the largest independent insurance agencies in Canada.

Despite his busy work schedule, he makes time for community involvement through roles such as co-founder and chairman of the Alberta Dragon Boat Race and as an active promoter of causes such as United Way.

Kan believes that internationalization will continue to play a vital role at the U of C and in the Calgary community. “Calgary is emerging as a dominant player in trading oil,” he says. “As more people come to learn and work in our city, it’s important that we have a world-class facility such as International House for both students and visitors to stay in. I’m proud to support such a great project.”

Something else Kan would like to see International House accomplish? “I would love to see all the past international students residing or doing business in Calgary support the project,” he says. “That would be a great thing.”