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- Category: Latest News
Every year, we recognize outstanding Telfer School of Management donors in order to demonstrate our appreciation and create meaningful relationships with those in our community who choose us amongst a sea of giving opportunities. This year, the Telfer Donor of the Year awards will be presented at our annual Gala of Excellence on October 20, 2018, along with the celebration of our anniversary classes (1968, 1978, 1993 and 2008) and the presentation of our Alumni Awards.
Congratulations to our 2018 Donor of the Year awards recipients:
Donors of the Year:
Rob Ashe (BCom 1982) & Sandra Herrick (BCom 1984)
Rob and Sandra's generous support of the Dom Herrick Entrepreneur in Residence position has allowed us to hire Stephen Daze who has moved the School forward substantially in the entrepreneurship curriculum, student activities, support for start-ups and community engagement. Their renewal of their pledge for an additional 5-year term will drive even greater impact for our students. Rob has been a champion and supporter of the School for nearly 15 years, first through Cognos, then IBM, and now personally. He holds a Trudeau Medal and an Honorary Doctorate from the University.
Loyal Donor of the Year:
David Bishop (BCom 1967)
David graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in 1967. He was chosen as the Loyal Donor of the Year for his contributions to the School spanning over 30 years.
Young Donor of the Year:
Alex Dettman (BCom 2008)
Alex has been supporting the Telfer School since 2012 and was one of the first donors to support the Telfer Capital Fund in 2014. Today, Alex is still involved with his alma mater, having participated in the 2017 Giving Tuesday campaign as a social media influencer.
Fundraising Volunteers of the Year:
George Khalife (BCom 2015)
Since graduation, George has remained very engaged with the School at different levels. George has committed his time to judging at different student financial activities and competitions, as well as becoming a coach and mentor for the Stock Simulation at the 2017 Financial Open, which was hosted at uOttawa. George was very active as a social media influencer during the 2017 Giving Tuesday campaign.
Diana Kolesarova (BCom 2016)
Still very much involved with the School since graduation, Diana is now President of the Telfer Alumni Association. As a student, Diana participated in numerous Telfer Student club events and activities. In addition to her role as TAA President, Diana was very active as a social media influencer during the 2017 Giving Tuesday campaign.
- Category: Donations / Fundraising
Fulfilment Enough
I’m an accountant, and my practice includes a specialization in fundraising. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that when you ask people to give money to a cause, you better be ready to give when they ask you for something in return. I approached fundraising for the Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award with this insight in mind. The scholarship award is given each year to recognize a member of The Entrepreneurs’ Club for his or her participation and dedication to the club. The award is named for a friend, former fellow club executive and budding entrepreneur who died in an accident back in 1993, when we were both Telfer BCom students.
I was asked by the school to revive the award financially so it remains viable for years to come. Rather than simply putting the touch on a few club alumni with fat wallets, I asked the school and its students for something instead. I decided the school’s request would be a great opportunity for me to work with today’s executives of The Entrepreneurs’ Club and share my knowledge and experience with fundraising. What better way, I thought, to honour Kevin’s memory and further his legacy than not only to raise the necessary funds, but also mentor his successors at the club about this vital part of business life.
The fact that the Telfer School is honouring me is proof that my approach is a winning one. The Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award is well on its way to becoming fully funded and sustainable for many years, and several students have gained important knowledge and valuable real-world experience in the process. Best of all, Kevin’s legacy at the school and the club is secure. That’s more than fulfilment enough for me.
- Category: Donations / Fundraising
Who I Am Now
If you don’t respect where you’ve come from, how are you going to respect where you are now? This rhetorical question has influenced me throughout my adult life and certainly does so as a loyal Telfer School donor. My time at the Telfer School, which started back in the 1970s, was made possible by money from scholarships and other generous support. As a woman from a hard-working farm family in southern Ontario, I care that young people from unremarkable backgrounds can get the financial support they need to reap the rewards that education and hard work bring. Opportunity is important to me.
So is inclusiveness. It matters that the Telfer School is bilingual and that it also welcomes students from across the country and around the world. When I was a Telfer BCom student, this spirit of inclusiveness enabled me to study with people who had much different backgrounds than mine. And this exposure helped make me a better student, person and, eventually, accountant and public servant. That inclusive institutions such as the Telfer School and the University of Ottawa exist in Canada’s capital city is of great significance—both as a symbol to everyone throughout the country and as a source of broad-minded professionals, especially for our public service.
These connected values—opportunity and inclusiveness—are why I’ve been a loyal Telfer School donor. I’ve given regularly to scholarship funds and to support the Dean’s strategic priorities. Opportunity and inclusiveness are also why I’ll continue to give. This place and its characteristics helped shape who I am. And if you don’t respect where you’ve come from, how are you going to respect where you are now?
- Category: Donations / Fundraising
Strong Momentum
We have a strong connection to the Telfer School—Swee as a Telfer School professor for 30 years and now Emeritus Professor, and Lilian as an advisor to the Telfer CPA Accounting and Governance Research Centre for over 20 years since its inception. We also have experience as graduate students. We understand how important it is being taught by faculty in a business school that is focused on carrying out research that contributes to new knowledge in the field of management.
So we were excited when the Telfer School set up its PhD program. It sends an important message that the school is now spurring top-flight research. It sets a tone that a new mission of the school is to focus on fostering research that contributes to new knowledge in the field of management. We realized that we had to provide strong momentum for success in the launch of the new PhD program. Our donation is to support the first cohort of students, in all its five fields, to attract the best doctoral candidates to the school for this new program and to help them financially in the critical first two years of study. We know how crucial it is for this initial cohort to create strong momentum in the program from the very beginning.
It is our hope that this momentum will serve to propel the program by attracting more top students to attend. We also hope our donation encourages others to be a part of the growing excellence of the Telfer PhD and consider contributing as donors. This help will sustain the positive momentum for the future growth and success of the school as evidenced by the launch of this new, important and exciting program.
- Category: Donations / Fundraising
Every year, we recognize outstanding Telfer School of Management donors in order to demonstrate our appreciation and create meaningful relationships with those in our community who choose us amongst a sea of giving opportunities. This year, the Telfer Donor of the Year awards will be presented at our annual Gala of Excellence on October 21, 2017, along with the celebration of our anniversary classes and the presentation of our Alumni Awards.
If you would like to learn more about giving to what matters to you at Telfer, please click here.
Congratulations to our 2017 Donor of the Year awards recipients:
Harry Mortimer – Fundraising Volunteer of the Year
Thanks to his leadership, commitment and dedication towards the Telfer Entrepreneur’s Club, the Kevin Vollett Entrepreneurial Award will be sustainable for future years.
Marlene Patrick – Loyal Donor of the Year
Her continued generosity and support of her alma mater, over the last 30 years, are truly inspired and valued.
Jean-Philippe Aubé – Young Donor of the Year
He is helping build a culture of giving at the School through his time, money and skills.
Lilian and Swee Chua Goh – Donors of the Year
The Lilian and Swee Chua Goh Doctoral Scholarships provided tremendous momentum to the fall 2016 launch of the PhD program by helping us recruit four of the eight top-notch candidates in 2016 and one in 2017. The couple has a long history at Telfer: Swee is an Emeritus Professor and Lilian is a founding advisor of the CPA Accounting and Governance Research Centre.
Click here for more information on the Telfer Gala of Excellence.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
We are proud to announce that the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa is the recipient of a $250,000 major gift from alumnus Louis Gagnon, President, Service and Distribution at Intact Financial Corp.
The donation will go towards the establishment of the Louis Gagnon Executive Pedagogical Innovation Fund. The announcement was made at the Executive MBA Alumni Association’s Annual General Meeting, where Mr. Gagnon was the guest keynote speaker.
"We are very grateful to Mr. Gagnon for his generous gift," stated François Julien, Dean of the Telfer School. "This investment will allow us to align ourselves with the ever changing learning modes of executive education and to transform how we learn – one of the 5 priorities we have set for our fundraising campaign".
The new fund will financially support the transformation and innovation of the Telfer School of Management’s executive program structures, content and delivery to be aligned with evolving learning modes. This includes researching, creating and implementing alternate, flexible and adaptable content and delivery methods, as well as creating or commissioning integrative cases that would be used across more than one course.
“The Executive MBA program has been a turning point in my career", said Louis Gagnon. “From the math prep course to the Organizational Behaviour courses and the summer consulting project, the experience prepared me to seize opportunities that I did not know existed and propel my career forward. With this donation, I’m pleased to support others in realising their own ambitions.” Focusing on pedagogical innovation will help transform learning inside and outside the classroom, with an eye to accelerating the career progression of our graduates.
The other priorities of the Telfer School’s fundraising campaign are: investing in globalisation, generating new knowledge, fostering experiential learning, and supporting scholarships and strategic initiatives.
After working several years in banking and consulting, Mr. Gagnon began his insurance career in 1992.
Before his current role, Mr. Gagnon was President and Chief Operating Officer of Intact Financial Corporation for two years. He was also President of Intact Insurance from 2008 to 2011. He joined Intact Insurance as Senior Vice-President, Québec Division in January 2007. Before joining the company, he was heading a brokerage firm, with offices in Québec and Ontario, and was active within the provincial and national brokers’ associations.
Mr. Gagnon is a past President of the Regroupement des cabinets de courtage d'assurance du Québec (RCCAQ) and Director of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada. In addition to his Executive MBA from the Telfer School, Mr. Gagnon earned a B.A. in Economic Science from the Université de Montréal.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
James Yersh (BCom 1996), Chief Financial Officer at Blackberry and 2016 Donor of the year, speaks at the Telfer Alumni Breakfast in November 2015.
Alumni week is upon us and we would like to take the time to recognise the recipients of this year’s Telfer Donor Awards. The recipients will be recognised at a private event on May 7, 2016. We invite you to read their personal accounts of the positive impact their contributions have made, not only on the Telfer School, but on their own lives too.
“Winning Giving” - James Yersh, BCom 1996
Donor of the Year
“A Culture of Giving” - Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips, BCom 2005
Young Donor of the Year
“The Power of Modesty” - André Cardinal, BCom 1969
Loyal Donor of the Year
“Find a Path to Giving” - Patrice Marceau, BSc 1981, MBA 1985, LLL 1985
Fundraising Volunteer of the Year
Find out how you can donate to the programs and projects that matter most to you.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
The Power of Modesty
André Cardinal - Loyal Donor of the Year
I give to the Telfer School for two simple reasons. First, I consider myself privileged. I come from humble beginnings and I appreciate having had the opportunity to attend university. It’s made a real difference in my life and therefore it’s only right for me to give a little back and share with the less fortunate and others from humble beginnings. It’s become a habit and I’m glad I can do it.
My second reason for giving is equally straightforward. Imagine the difference we as alumni could make if every one of us gave just a little bit to our school? My giving to the Telfer School is modest compared to the big corporate gifts the school receives. For many years, I have made a financial contribution each month via regular deductions from my bank account. It’s easy, convenient and becomes a routine I hardly ever notice. Now just think of the great things our school and its students could achieve if every Telfer School alumnus did the same?
I started giving to the Telfer School many years ago while I worked at RBC. I’m retired now after working some 40 years with the bank. I held many positions there, including executive responsible for employment and training. That’s when I became acutely conscious of the needs of schools and started making my loyal contribution to the Telfer School and the University of Ottawa. Again, my giving is modest, but it’s also consistent. And just imagine the powerful difference we alumni could make together if each of us gave just a little bit each month?
We invite you to read other examples of the positive impact that our other Donor Award recipients have made:
“Winning Giving” - James Yersh, BCom 1996
Donor of the Year
“A Culture of Giving” - Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips, BCom 2005
Young Donor of the Year
“Find a Path to Giving” - Patrice Marceau, BSc 1981, MBA 1985, LLL 1985
Fundraising Volunteer of the Year
Find out how you can donate to the programs and projects that matter most to you.
- Category: Alumni in the Lead
Winning Giving
James Yersh - Donor of the Year
Giving makes sense to me for many reasons. Most of all, I have the means to give; and when anyone does, they should give to help others. It doesn’t necessarily mean financially. You can also contribute your time, your expertise, or whatever else you have that people can benefit from. Giving to the Telfer School is especially sensible and important to me: the school gave me the tools I needed to get where I am now.
At the same time, when we at BlackBerry see new employees come in fresh from university, we recognize a knowledge void. Most graduating students have plenty of what I call book smarts. Yet they need more practical business smarts. The donation to the Telfer School that my family has made through the Yersh Family Pedagogical Innovation Fund is essential in helping narrow that gap between the theoretical and applied. By putting money toward developing new teaching techniques and programs, as well as revamping some existing ones, my family’s giving will equip Telfer School students with more practical business knowledge and make these students more workplace-ready.
I think of this giving as a win-win-win. Companies win by getting graduating Telfer students armed with book smarts and practical smarts. Students win because the programs and techniques will give them a leg up on others in getting the kinds of jobs and careers they want. And the Telfer School itself wins because these new teaching techniques and programs will differentiate the school from others when competing for top talent. This kind of winning giving is also a lesson for other Telfer School alumni: Find something worthwhile from your own real-life experience and translate it into a donation that moves everyone ahead—especially the Telfer School and its students.
We invite you to read other examples of the positive impact that our other Donor Award recipients have made:
“A Culture of Giving” - Gabriel Bouchard-Phillips, BCom 2005
Young Donor of the Year
“The Power of Modesty” - André Cardinal, BCom 1969
Loyal Donor of the Year
“Find a Path to Giving” - Patrice Marceau, BSc 1981, MBA 1985, LLL 1985
Fundraising Volunteer of the Year
Find out how you can donate to the programs and projects that matter most to you.
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Student Voices
The following article was written by a member of our student community. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Telfer School of Management. For more information or to flag inappropriate content, please