Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
Campus Bulletin
June 28, 2004
U of G receives gift from The Co-operators to support leadership centre
The University of Guelph’s Centre for Studies in Leadership has received a $200,000 gift from The Co-Operators to help support education, research and community outreach programs.
The gift was announced Friday during a special dinner at the University that included representatives from The Co-operators and the leadership centre, as well as other faculty, staff and students.
“We are very excited about supporting the Centre for Studies in Leadership,” says Kathy Bardswick, The Co-operators president and chief executive officer and a member of U of G’s Board of Governors. “This is an area that we truly believe is critical to the public, private and non-profit sectors.”
The donation will support, among other things, bursaries for people working in non-profit sectors who are entering the master’s in leadership studies program, as well as research and learning resources for the new leadership resource centre.
“The University and The Co-operators have a long history of collaboration and partnership that spans two decades,” says Maureen Mancuso, vice-president (academic). “This most recent and very generous gift is truly a leadership investment in every way. It will help us enhance our strengths in leadership studies by providing resources and support that are critical to the centre’s success. The donation will also open up educational opportunities for future leaders through our master’s program.”
The Centre for Leadership Studies opened last September. Housed in the Macdonald Institute Building, the centre was created to bring together existing interdisciplinary research expertise and programming and to serve as a platform and sponsor for new initiatives. Headed by Brian Earn, the centre undertakes and promotes research on leadership issues, develops new educational programs and engages in community outreach and promotional activities.
U of G has been growing in the areas of leadership studies in recent years. The University now offers a master’s degree in leadership studies and its faculty have received more than $140,000 in research grants from the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute. Guelph also has a successful student leadership program and several well-established programs in rural leadership.
