Promising Futures, Shared Passions Major Campaign - The Université de Sherbrooke amasses $95,8M
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SHERBROOKE, QC, May 12, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Training tomorrow's entrepreneurs better, stimulating student ingenuity, boosting neuroinformatics research to benefit patients, offering support services tailored to populational needs in an academic setting, and providing financial support to students. These are just some of the impacts of projects made possible through the Université de Sherbrooke's major campaign, which got under way in 2012.
To date, the campaign has received more than $95,8 million, including $24 million from members of the university community. These incredible results were announced today with many of the donors on hand.
"The entire university community can take delight in these unexpected results," underscored the University's President, Luce Samoisette. "This unprecedented impact and commitment reflects upon the entire University and our society."
With her term coming to an end on June 1, Luce Samoisette took the occasion to pass the torch to the President Elect, Professor Pierre Cossette, who remarked "I congratulate my predecessor and thank her for her major involvement in this campaign. The amounts collected so far are already making a difference. In order to stimulate the implementation of many projects and better respond to society's growing needs, I will be carrying on the campaign with all of the other torchbearers."
Normand Legault, Chair of the Promising Futures, Shared Passions major campaign, called the results spectacular, stating that "this is an outstanding accomplishment directly attributable to the exceptional mobilization of donors. Moreover, it will serve as leverage in approaching other organizations. I am extremely grateful to our donors for their commitment."
Some Impacts of the Campaign
- In support of our students, $10.7 million has been awarded in the form of some 4000 scholarships, including scholarships for merit and engagement, financial-assistance scholarships from Fondation FORCE, and athletic scholarships encouraging our 400 student athletes.
- The entrepreneurship-hub project is currently deploying, in particular as a result of the Ville de Sherbrooke's engagement. Its contribution could be as high as $6 million over 10 years in the form of compensations in lieu of taxes generated by new facilities built on the University's campus. This support is already helping to foster local and regional development through the creation of businesses and partnerships, in addition to encouraging other organizations to join in the University's ambitious Innovation, Partnership, and Entrepreneurship strategy.
- An amount of $914,000 has been collected to boost research into neuroinformatics. Ultimately, this promising field will enhance the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the human brain. About a hundred patients have already benefited from this research.
- Funds totaling $642,000 have gone into upgrading the five libraries on three campuses. Each year, there are 554,000 student visits to the University's libraries.
- The law library was modernized to the tune of $4 million, providing a site adapted to training the next generation of cutting-edge attorneys.
- Funding in the amount of $2.5 million has been collected for various population-support clinics organized by four faculties (Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Physical Education and Sports. The services, provided in a university academic context, fall mainly in the areas of psychology, counseling, special education, eating disorders, kinesiology, and psychoeducation. This component includes the creation of the Centre RBC d'expertise universitaire en santé mentale (RBC university center for mental-health expertise), made possible with a $1.5 million contribution.
- At the Business School, $1.5 million was raised to help student entrepreneurs via the Desjardins Entrepreneurial Accelerator.
- Clinical-simulation laboratories valued at $13 million were built as the result of donations totaling $6.25 million, making it possible to obtain additional public financing. The laboratory on the Sherbrooke Health Campus is an outcome of a partnership between the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the CIUSSS de l'Estrie–CHUS. The laboratory recreates clinical situations and provides 2000 FMSS students and 4000 employees annually opportunities to practice in order to deliver better care to patients.
- The Creation Studio, valued at $8 million and covering more than 2500 m2, will take shape and let future engineers give nearly free reign to their ingenuity.
About the Promising Futures, Shared Passions major campaign
The Université de Sherbrooke is kicking off its sixth major funding campaign under the theme of Promising Futures, Shared Passions. The campaign started with the University community in 2012 and with partners in 2015. It should run until 2020. This historical campaign promotes major projects with benefits in all spheres of society. While the campaign doesn't have a specific overall financial objective, it aims at achieving all of its projects, each of which has its own financial objective. This relational campaign relies on the support of ambassadors who are engaging their networks to support projects they are passionate about. This novel structure replaces the campaign office.
About the Promising Futures, Shared Passions major campaign
SOURCE Université de Sherbrooke
Judith Lavallée, Media-Relations Officer, Communications Department, Université de Sherbrooke, 819-821-8000, extension 65472, [email protected]
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