Some $385,000 was raised at the 13th annual Kenaidan-York University Chair’s Cup Golf Tournament June 5 at the Copper Creek Golf Club, an amount that will allow 25 graduate students to receive full scholarships.
From left, Greg Stack, event co-chair; Brock Harpur, PhD candidate and scholarship recipient; Guy Burry, event co-chair; Jeff O’Hagan, York vice-president, advancement; Nick Sule, senior project manager, Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.; Peter Sullivan, CFO, Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.; and Mamdouh Shoukri, York University president & vice-chancellor
“Your generous support of this tournament has allowed us to raise more than $5 million dollars over the past 13 years,” York President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri told event attendees during the evening program. “Thanks to you, we are supporting hundreds of deserving graduate students at York.”
The annual tournament raises funds for graduate scholarships, providing much-needed support for some of York’s talented students, thanks to the generosity of sponsors, participants, alumni, donors and friends of the University.
One such student is Brock Harpur, a PhD candidate in biology at York who studies the genetic health of honey bees with Professor Amro Zayed. Harpur has won a number of prestigious awards, and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) 
made it possible for him to do an extra year of research.
“I’ve been remarkably productive over the short course of my studies and it is certainly because of external funding,” Harpur said. “The OGS allowed me the freedom to explore whatever topics come to mind, free to discover new phenomena and free to port my discoveries back to the scientific community and general public. That is truly the benefit of graduate scholarships – they allow Ontario’s students to aspire to the true academic dream and explore, create and contribute.”
The continued success of the Chair’s Cup owes much to its dedicated supporters, led by co-chairs Greg Stack (BA Spec. Hons ’81) and Guy Burry (BA ’82), a member of York’s Board of Governors and former chair of the York University Alumni Association Board, who had this to say about the impact of the tournament:
“Being involved with the tournament for all 13 years has given me a unique perspective on the impact of the event. The Kenaidan-York University Chair’s Cup Golf Tournament is an easy way to give back, and it makes all of us involved feel great to know that we’re contributing while having fun. I continue to be impressed by the quality of the graduate students at York University, and appreciate that we can help to ensure the University has the financial resources to attract and retain the best and brightest graduate students.”
The following is the list of sponsors for the 2013 Kenaidan-York University Chair’s Cup Golf Tournament:
Title Sponsor:
- Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.
Premier Sponsor:
- TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
Golf Ball Sponsor:
- Kenaidan Contracting Ltd.
Beat the Pro Sponsor:
- Whitehat Inc.
Hole Sponsors:
- 407 ETR
- A-tec Signs
- Aviva Canada Inc./Marsh Canada Limited
- Bouygues Building Canada
- Crowe Soberman LLP
- Gryphon International Investment Corporation
- Harris Rebar A Division of Harris Steel ULC
- IBI Group Inc.
- Lexsan Electrical Inc.
- Manulife Financial
- McCarthy Tétrault LLP
- Meridiam Infrastructure
- Morguard Investments Ltd.
- Ontario Redimix Ltd., A Division of
- Holcim Canada
- RBC Royal Bank
- Sanofi Pasteur Limited
- Scotia Private Client Group
- Shawneeki Golf Club
- TD Asset Management Inc.
- Towers Watson
- Wedge Capital Management LLP
Pin Supporters
- Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP
- Mawer Investment Management Ltd.
- Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd.
- Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.