York University Gazette Online



\| VOLUME 29, NUMBER 15 \| WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1999 \| ISSN 1199-5246 \|


	National Campaign surpasses $100 million goal DONATIONS PILE UP: York University President Lorna Marsden and (left to right) Campaign Co-Chairs Timothy Price and John Bankes put the last book in place to represent the final tally of $108 million raised in the National Campaign for York University. CAMPAIGN GOAL MET ONE YEAR AHEAD OF SCHEDULE WITH RESOUNDING SUCCESS York University celebrated the end of its National Campaign by raising $108 million in total, with more than 42,000 donations received. Students, faculty, and the University community will reap the benefits of the campaign, which officially ended with a black tie gala dinner and celebration at the Design Exchange on Bay Street in downtown Toronto on Dec. 8. York is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary - four decades since the passage of the York University Act on March 26, 1959 - and the resounding success of the National Campaign for York University, which surpassed its $100 million goal a full year ahead of schedule, is a fitting way to celebrate that anniversary. The final tally of funds was announced at the dinner. York University President Lorna Marsden and Campaign Co-Chairs John Bankes and Tim Price were on hand to officially cap off the campaign by placing the last volume on a 12-foot stack of books designed to depict the key contributions to the campaign. "In fewer than four decades, York University has earned a national and international reputation for innovative research and programming and award-winning teaching. That has clearly helped the National Campaign, and I want to thank everyone inside and outside the York community who contributed so generously in so many ways to its success, especially the Campaign Co-Chairs who have shared their time, talent and resources with York," said Marsden. Said Vice-President (University Advancement) Gary J. Smith: "The breadth of support from volunteers, alumni, private benefactors and corporate donors demonstrates a shared commitment to funding new scholarships, awards and bursaries, to supporting innovative research and teaching excellence, to providing students with state-of-the-art electronic classrooms, to creating new chairs and research centres." The National Campaign, launched in 1995, has many milestones and accomplishments to its name, including: more than 42,000 campaign gifts received from alumni, corporate partners and individual donors; a record 67 per cent participation rate for York's internal community campaign, one of the highest in Canada; York's endowment quadrupled during the campaign, from less than $20 million to more than $80 million; 211 new scholarships, awards and bursaries created for student financial aid, totalling $33 million in pledges; significantly increased funding for 400 existing scholarships, awards and bursaries; York's Annual Fund average support tripled during the campaign, from $400,000, before the campaign began, to $1.2 million; 14 newly created chairs and professorships including: the Silber Chair in Holocaust & Eastern European Jewish Studies; seven Chairs for the Schulich School of Business, including the Newcourt Chair in Financial Services; the CIBC Professorship in Financial services; the Royal Bank Professorship in Non-Profit Management and Leadership; creation of the Jack and Mae Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption; York's NSERC-MDS Sciex Industrial Research Chair in Analytical Mass Spectrometry; $1.5 million from the Brazilian Ball to the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution for work on reducing violence in the lives of children and youth; $1 million contribution from entrepreneur Miles Nadal for York's Downtown Management Centre; Dr. Woody Fisher donated "Las Nubes" a 300-acre Costa Rican mid-elevation rainforest for the Fisher Fund for Neotropical Conservation. The aim of the National Campaign was to provide the financial grounding necessary to secure the brightest possible future for students, faculty and academic life at York University. John Bankes, one of the Co-Chairs of the Campaign and a member of the York Board of Governors, spoke eloquently at the dinner about the extensive efforts and contributions by people from the York community throughout the National Campaign for York University. Campaign accomplishments $100 million goal reached one year early York's internal community campaign achieved a record participation rate of 67 per cent, one of the highest in the country More than 42,000 campaign gifts received 211 new awards, scholarships and bursaries created for student financial aid 14 new chairs and professorships York's endowment quadrupled Annual Fund support tripled during campaign The Campaign Co-Chairs were: John Bankes, Margot Franssen, and Timothy Price. The Campaign Cabinet included: Roy Bennett; Rudy Bratty; Guy Burry; Vickie Campbell; Ross Cullingworth; Peter Currie; William A. Dimma; Aidan Flatley; Martin Goldfarb; Fred Gorbet; Charles Hantho; Larry Heisey; John Hunkin; David Kerr; Gail Kilgour; Rasik Morzaria; Franco Palladini; Paul Pellegrini; Greg Sorbara; and Dennis Starritt. The Honorary Campaign Chair was Alfred Posi. The Honorary Campaign Counsel was Arthur R.A. Scace, and the Campaign Treasurer was Keith O. Dorricott.

Campaign accomplishments