U of C giving hits record $70.5 million

Donations to the University of Calgary achieved a record level this year: $70.5 million in new cash and pledges received.

For the 2005/06 fiscal year ending March 31, there was a 12 percent fundraising increase in cash received. The U of C has seen the largest fundraising percentage increase of any university in Canada: a 550 percent increase in donations received over five years. The U of C reeived its largest gift in history, $25 million, from Torontonian Seymour Schulich, which was matched by the Government of Alberta. A record $30 million was raised for student scholarships and financial bursaries.

“In the past year, the U of C has been able to increase support for students, through bursaries and scholarships, to an all-time high of $43 million. This is essential to staying competitive with our peer institutions in the recruitment of the best and brightest,” says U of C president Harvey Weingarten. “We have made significant gains in our efforts to attract world-class faculty members, we have embarked on our largest capital expansion ever, and made impressive progress in enhancing the experience enjoyed by our students.

None of this would have happened without the vision and exceptional moral and financial support that we enjoy from our donors, alumni, and community leaders.”

Highlights include:

• The $25 million from Torontonian Seymour Schulich will fund 102 scholarships, three academic chairs, and discretionary funds for the Schulich School of Engineering.
• The Faculty of Fine Arts received two major gifts from alumni: $1.2 million from John Lefebvre (LLB’82) and another $1.2-million gift to be formally announced this spring.
• Led by Jim Buckee, Talisman Energy established generous $10,000 scholarships for students in Engineering, Science, Business, and Law.
• PennWest Energy gave the best endowed scholarships in the Faculty of Science at $7,500 each.
• Direct Energy Business Services was the lead sponsor of the Academic Merit Entrance Awards, donating $500,000 for entering students with marks higher than 80 percent.
• Donors to the Faculty of Environmental Design founded new entrance scholarships: the Murray W. Waterman Entrance Award in Architecture ($10,000).
• The Estate of Ursula Zandmer distributed $2.64 million for student scholarships, research start-up funds for new professors,
and laboratory refurbishment in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.
• EnCana donated $1 million to the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and the Economy.

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