Completion of the Promising Futures, Shared Passions Major Campaign - The Université de Sherbrooke Amasses More Than $115M

SHERBROOKE, QC, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - The Université de Sherbrooke announced today the completion of its sixth major fund-raising campaign with the theme Promising Futures, Shared Passions. With major donors, torchbearers, and members of the university community on hand, the Chair of the major campaign, Normand Legault, and the President of the Université de Sherbrooke, Professor Pierre Cossette, had the honor of revealing the campaign's unparalleled results. A total of $115,480,261 was received, including $26,437,112 from the university community—including $8,905,580 from students—in what can only be termed as a huge success for the Université de Sherbrooke.

"We can be delighted with and very proud of these spectacular results," stated President Pierre Cossette. "They demonstrate that the university community has rallied together like never before and also the deep commitment of donors to the Université de Sherbrooke. The donations received have enabled us to implement more than 50 promising projects with tangible benefits for the entire population."

"I am so proud to have chaired the Promising Futures, Shared Passions campaign," exclaimed Normand Legault. "Moreover, the name is quite apt, since the Université de Sherbrooke is a place of passions as well as of excellence. Each individual who took part in this campaign put all their heart and devotion into the effort. It is indeed a remarkable success. I am grateful to each and every donor for their generosity and for having helped make the University an enviable and sought-out environment."

Over and beyond its outstanding financial performance, this campaign represents a major shift for the Université de Sherbrooke and consolidates its leadership position in terms of innovation, partnership, and entrepreneurship. This is evident in the nature of the various projects undertaken. Whether it's the Fondation Huguette et Jean-Louis Fontaine product creation studio currently under construction, the Desjardins Accelerator for Entrepreneurial Practices, clinical-simulation laboratories, the Research chair in Neuroinformatics, or the various aid clinics for the population, these projects provide the means for training a competent succession equipped to respond to society's issues.

"Now more than ever," pointed out President Cossette, "the Université de Sherbrooke is positioning itself as a positive contributor to our society. This campaign demonstrated the added value of mobilizing our partners and committing together to enhance our impact in our settings. Moreover, I want to point out the work and vision of the preceding administration, which launched the University on this historic campaign."

A Range of Projects Responding to Society's Growing Needs

A number of students were on hand for the ceremony to share their examples of the positive impacts these projects have had on their training and for the population.

• REMDUS President William Leclerc Bellavance feels that the scholarships that students receive allow them to concentrate their efforts their education, which is an undeniable advantage in training high-quality graduates. Moreover, the REMDUS took this opportunity to once again announce their support in the form of a $500,000 donation to the campaign.
• For psychoeducation student Sarah Marcil, the Centre RBC d'expertise universitaire en santé mentale, where she worked, stands out as a good example because the centre attempts to optimally respond to the needs of youths.
• Medical-student Aghiles Abbad views the clinical-simulation laboratory—which is at the cutting-edge of technology—as a definite asset in his training and a unique resource for health-care professionals in Estrie.
• Philippe Vaillancourt, a student in school and social adjustment, underscored that the TD Bank Group donation made the Pierre-H.-Ruel mobile clinic a reality. He considers it a major advantage to be able to combine theory and practice as well as to help students with learning difficulties right in their school environment.
• According to Érika Simard-Dupuis and Santiago Pérez Bedoya, students in education, the support from the BMO Financial Group plays an important role in optimizing their training as tomorrow's teachers and in fostering student persistence by facilitating the early detection of problems in at-risk students.
• Nursing-student Amélie Ouellet considers that clinical simulation yields indispensable opportunities to practise and to learn to provide better patient care. It also makes it possible to acquire better professional skills.
• Florence Gauthier, a law student, deemed that modernization of the Faculty of Law's library was an absolute necessity. Now, it's truly suited for training the next generation of highly qualified legal professionals.
• Kinesiology-student Karina Goulet views the kinesiology clinic as ideal for putting her knowledge into practice while tangibly helping members of the population improve their physical condition.
• For postdoctoral fellow Steve Dagenais Bellefeuille, partner engagement had an incalculable impact on his university career, particularly his research work. Whether from CanTRA's support of Immune Biosolutions, the Mitacs fellowship program, or the contribution of the Université de Sherbrooke's Business Partnership Group, the aid he received propelled his innovation project into a business reality. And it was all made possible, in particular, through a gift from the City of Sherbrooke to the Pôle entrepreneurial.
• Jean-François Dufault and Dino Mehanovic see partner engagement as having had an inestimable impact on their university careers, particularly in developing their entrepreneurial spirit. Whether the support came from CanTRA or CREATEK, the mentoring they received propelled their business-creation project to unprecedented heights.
• François Rheault (computer-science student) considers that the support received to create the Research Chair in Neuroinformatics will yield better means for diagnosing and treating diseases affecting the human brain. About a hundred patients have already benefited from this research.

This sixth campaign stands out as the most ambitious philanthropic achievement since the Université de Sherbrooke was founded. The campaign started with the University community in 2012 and with partners in 2015. This historical campaign promotes major projects with benefits in all spheres of society.

[Video – french] Completion of the Promising Futures, Shared Passions Major Campaign 
Learn more about the Promising Futures, Shared Passions Major Campaign [French]

SOURCE Université de Sherbrooke

Judith Lavallée, Media-Relations Officer, Communications Department | Université de Sherbrooke, 819 578-9976 | [email protected]

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