LONDON,
ON, September 22, 2009 - The
University of Western Ontario today announced the donation of $2 million by RBC
Foundation to provide students with the opportunity to experience enhanced
learning while responding to community needs through service.
RBC's commitment will support the new Community
Service Learning Program, facilitated through Western, the Richard Ivey School
of Business and Huron University College. The program extends the educational
experience of students beyond the classroom with real-life experience in the
community. RBC's commitment will support and expand the program over the next 10
years, and will allow approximately 5,000 students each year to take part in
this new educational opportunity.
"We have
already had great success with community
service learning at Western, and are now
ready to expand and develop this
approach in new ways," says Western's
President Amit Chakma. "This wonderful
gift from RBC to Western makes a
difference by inspiring community
engagement and a global outlook among
our students, and by providing direct
benefit to the organizations they serve.
As our world changes, Western students
will be there, helping to lead that
change."
"At RBC, we
believe we have a responsibility to
cultivate future leaders with a strong
sense of social responsibility" says
Dave McKay, Group Head, Canadian
Banking, RBC. "This year we are
celebrating 100 years of supporting the
London community and we are confident
that our donation to The University of
Western Ontario will ensure that
thousands of students continue to
support local non-profit and charitable
organizations." "Students have a phenomenal desire to contribute to
their communities. Service learning promotes academic excellence, and gives them
real-world experiences that promote personal and professional growth," says Ivey
Dean Carol Stephenson. "This gift from RBC furthers Ivey's mission which
emphasizes the importance of giving back to our communities through developing
business leaders who think globally, act strategically and contribute to the
societies within which they operate."
Huron University College Principal Ramona Lumpkin
says, "Whether they work with the Canadian Red Cross, the Thames River
Ecological Association, or the Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and
Children, Huron students are transformed by their service learning engagement.
RBC's gift ensures that our students will have a wealth of opportunity to give
back to their communities and to deepen their academic experience."
On October
3, The University of Western Ontario
will launch the public phase of a
campaign that will raise $500 million by
2014. The RBC Foundation gift will be an
important part of that total.
Information about Western's Campaign can
be found at
http://www.westernmakesadifference.ca/
About
RBC
RBC
believes in building prosperity by
contributing to the communities in which
we live and work. We are now one of
Canada's largest corporate donors, and
we support a broad range of community
initiatives, through donations,
sponsorships and employee volunteer
activities. In 2008, RBC contributed
more than $99 million to community
causes worldwide. As a founding member
of Imagine Canada, RBC is committed to
donating at least one per cent of our
average annual net income before taxes.
For more information, please visit
http://www.rbc.com/donations/
Contacts:
-
Ann
Hutchison, Director of Media
Relations, Western, 519-661-2111,
ext. 85468,
ahutch2@uwo.ca
-
Mary
Weil, Manager, Media & Public
Relations, Richard Ivey School of
Business, 416-203-0664,
mweil@ivey.ca
-
Greg
Skinner, Communications Manager,
RBC, 416-294-5579,
greg.skinner@rbc.com
About the Richard Ivey School of
Business, The University of Western
Ontario
The Richard Ivey School of Business at
The University of Western Ontario (www.ivey.ca)
offers undergraduate (HBA)
and graduate degree programs (MBA,
Executive MBA and
PhD) in addition to non-degree
Executive Development programs. Ivey has
campuses in London (Ontario),
Toronto, and Hong Kong. Ivey
recently redesigned its curriculum to
focus on
Cross-Enterprise Leadership â€" a
holistic issues-based approach to
management education that meets the
demands of today's complex global
business world. |
