9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ

News

Development and Alumni Relations

Published: 30 March 2004

A breakdown of functions performed at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's new Martlet House

Ever wonder what goes on at 1430 Peel St., the newly christened Martlet House and the former Seagram Company's castle-like office? Read on for a complete breakdown of the many functions performed by 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's Development and Alumni Relations (DAR):

Fundraising

DAR staff is involved in a variety of fundraising activities. Working with deans from the various 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ faculties, DAR staff identify major 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ projects that require special funding and support 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ administrators and faculty in their efforts to seek out large one-time gifts that can make these projects a reality. Recent examples include the Lorne Trottier Building, a new structure designed to offer state-of-the-art teaching facilities for programs in computer engineering, computer science, software engineering, telecommunications and microelectronics. Construction of the building was largely made possible thanks to a $10-million gift from Matrox Graphics president and 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ alumnus Lorne Trottier. Another DAR hallmark includes the Francesco Bellini Life Sciences Building, which will house many of 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's top researchers in science and medicine and will soon become the largest research complex of its kind in Eastern Canada. Construction of the Bellini Building will be made possible through a $10-million donation from BioChem Pharma co-founder Francesco Bellini. Overall private support for 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ in 2002-2003 amounted to $50,127,107. There were 34,817 gifts made to 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ and $11,763,929 was donated to the University by its alumni.

Alumni Association branches

The Alumni Association works with almost 100 branches throughout the world to ensure that 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ graduates, wherever they reside, can get together with fellow alumni. There are Alumni Association branches across North America, as well as in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and New Zealand.

9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Homecoming

Each fall since the 1920s, 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ invites its graduates to "come home" and visit Montreal and their alma mater. 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's Homecoming annually attracts thousands to the downtown and Macdonald campuses to take part in a range of events, including the Sports Hall of Fame Luncheon, where 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ sports heroes from yesteryear are honoured, and Lunch et Livres, where 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ authors discuss their recent books.

The Stephen Leacock Luncheons

Stephen Leacock was a widely respected economics and political science professor at 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ, but he is best known for the books of satirical humour he produced, including the classic Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Soon to mark its 35th anniversary, the Leacock Luncheon celebrates his wit and annually attracts over 800 guests during 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Homecoming. The event now also takes place in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Recent Leacock Lecturers have included award-winning author Will Ferguson (Happiness and Why I Hate Canadians), former Ontario premier Bob Rae, and former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.

9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ News Alumni Quarterly

First published in 1919, the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ News Alumni Quarterly is one of Canada's oldest and most respected alumni magazines. The publication, produced by the Alumni Association, has won six awards from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) in the past four years for writing and overall excellence. Recent issues have included interviews with such noteworthy 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ graduates as architects Arthur Erickson, Raymond Moriyama and Moshe Safdie and Emmy Award-winning TV producer Virginia Carter, as well as stories about 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ research in such fields as nanotechnology and paleontology.

Sponsoring student successes

The Alumni Association helps fund and organize one-of-a-kind or especially ambitious undertakings by 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ students. The association has sponsored the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Rowing Club (a group that has produced several Olympians) and the University's award-winning solar race car team. The association sponsored a spectacularly successful tour of Europe in 1992 by the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Jazz Ensemble. The student band played at the Cork International Jazz Festival and performed on the popular Irish late TV program "The Late, Late Show" to an audience of three million. Many of Canada's top jazz performers today, including singer Denzel Sinclaire and saxophonist Christine Jensen, were part of that tour.

The 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Mentor Program

The Mentor Program offers 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ students access to the insights of 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ alumni who are busy building the kinds of careers that today's students want to explore for themselves. Mentors are professionals from every line of work, including physicians, engineers, lawyers, businesspeople and academics. They have one thing in common – a willingness to share their experiences with 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ students in the market for some good career advice. The 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Mentor Program is a joint project between the Alumni Association, Career and Placement Services, and the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR).

Public programs

DAR works with faculty and volunteers in organizing various lectures and events for graduates and other members of the public. One recent example is the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Mini-Med School, awarded the CCAE's Gold Award for "Best Community Outreach Program by a Canadian University." This lecture series features some of the Faculty of Medicine's top medical professors explaining their areas of expertise in layman's terms to the general public. 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ was the first Canadian university to adopt the program and several other Canadian universities now offer similar programs in the wake of 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ's success.

Travel program

One of the most popular services offered by the Alumni Association is the 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ Alumni Travel Program, which encourages "lifetime learning" through travel. Trips include tours in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Alumnilife

A password-protected website offering 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ graduates a variety of services, including email for life, e-postcards, a method for safely making gifts to 9IÖÆ×÷³§Ãâ·Ñ online, and access to personal updates and contact information made available by fellow graduates.

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