Jarislowsky donates $1 million

Dr. Harvey Weingarten, President and Vice Chancellor, University of Calgary today announced a gift of $1 million from Stephen A. Jarislowsky, Canadian investment expert and philanthropist. The gift will create an endowment to fund the Jarislowsky Fellowship in Business Management at the Haskayne School of Business. Jarislowsky is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Jarislowsky, Fraser Limited.

The Jarislowsky Fellowship in Business Management will involve retired executives, from business and other sectors, who will interact with students and faculty at the Haskayne School of Business for terms ranging from a few days, to a full semester or academic year. The Fellows will offer career advice, provide guest lectures in classes, participate in the mentorship program and serve as ambassadors for the School.

Brian MacNeill, retired Chief Executive Officer of Enbridge Inc., will be the first Fellow in the program. MacNeill was CEO at Enbridge from 1990 until his retirement in 2001. He served two terms as Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Calgary from 2001 to 2007. He is currently Chairman of Petro-Canada and Dofasco, a Director of the Toronto Dominion Bank, West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. and Telus.

The Jarislowsky Fellowship in Business Management will provide mentors to students to expand the breadth of their education. “We want to expose our students to the reality of a business and it just makes sense to have this kind of program here in Calgary. We live in one of Canada’s most dynamic business centres, and we need to take full advantage of the outstanding expertise in our own backyard,” said Weingarten.

The Jarislowsky Fellowship in Business Management is a unique program that will connect what students are learning in the classroom with the real world experiences of outstanding business executives according to Dr. Vern Jones, Interim Dean of the Haskayne School of Business. “Our students will benefit greatly from face-to-face interaction with top executives like Brian MacNeill who are currently or have been in management decision and delegation situations,” says Jones. “The program will help students understand the tools and skill sets prospective employers are looking for.”

Students will see the benefits of the Fellowship according to the President of the Commerce Undergraduate Society at the Haskayne School “As students, we want to be able to hear from people who have succeeded in the fields we’re studying and we want to apply what they’ve learned to help us with our careers,” said Amy Dedeluk, fourth year Bachelor of Commerce student.

The Jarislowsky Fellowship in Business Management is one of a number of programs at Canadian universities funded by the Jarislowsky Foundation. They include 20 endowed chairs in a variety of disciplines such as medicine, finance, art history, public sector management and conflict and religion. Mr. Jarislowsky has received numerous honours for his business and philanthropic activities including the Order of Canada, L’Ordre National du Québec, Honorary LL.Ds from Queens, University of Alberta, Université de Montréal, McMaster University, Concordia University, Assumption University as well as from L’Université Laval. He holds the International Entrepreneur Award from the University of Manitoba and has been inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.