York University's National Campaign Surpasses $100 Million Goal, Wraps Up Year Early, Quadruples Its Endowment; Students/Faculty/Community To Reap Benefits

TORONTO, December 4, 1998 -- As York University prepares to celebrate 40 years since the passage of the York University Act on March 26, 1959, it is poised to mark another milestone -- the resounding success of the National Campaign for York University, which surpassed its $100 million goal a full year ahead of schedule.

The final tally of funds raised during the four-year campaign will be announced at a black tie gala celebration Tuesday, Dec. 8, 1998, 6 p.m. at the Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, Toronto. York University President Dr. Lorna Marsden and Campaign co-chairs John Bankes, Margot Franssen, and Tim Price will be on hand to officially cap-off the campaign by placing the last volume on a 12-ft. stack of red books designed to depict the key contributions to the campaign.

"In fewer than four decades, York University has earned a national and international reputation for innovative research and programming and award-winning teaching. That has clearly helped the National Campaign, and I want to thank everyone inside and outside the York community who contributed so generously in so many ways to its success, especially the Campaign Co-chairs who have shared their time, talent and resources with York," said Marsden.

Said Vice-President (University Advancement) Gary J. Smith: "The breadth of support from volunteers, alumni, private benefactors and corporate donors demonstrates a shared commitment to funding new scholarships, awards and bursaries, to supporting innovative research and teaching excellence, to providing students with state-of-the-art electronic classrooms, to creating new chairs and research centres."

The National Campaign, launched in 1995, has many milestones and accomplishments to its name, including:

more than 42,000 campaign gifts received from alumni, corporate partners and individual donors

a record 67 per cent participation rate for York's internal community campaign, one of the highest in Canada

York's endowment quadrupled during the campaign, from less than $20 million to more than $80 million

211 new scholarships, awards and bursaries created for student financial aid, totalling $33 million in pledges

significantly increased funding for 400 existing scholarships, awards and bursaries

York's Annual Fund average support tripled during the campaign, from $400,000, before the campaign began, to $1.2 million

14 newly created chairs and professorships including: the Silber Chair in Holocaust & Eastern European Jewish Studies; seven Chairs for the Schulich School of Business, including the Newcourt Chair in Financial Services; the CIBC Professorship in Financial services; the Royal Bank Professorship in Non-Profit Management and Leadership

creation of the Jack and Mae Nathanson Centre for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption

York's NSERC-MDS Sciex Industrial Research Chair in Analytical Mass Spectrometry

$1.5 million from the Brazilian Ball to the LaMarsh Centre for Research on Violence and Conflict Resolution for work on reducing violence in the lives of children and youth

$1 million contribution from entrepreneur Miles Nadal for York's Downtown Management Centre

Dr. Woody Fisher donated "Las Nubes" a 300-acre Costa Rican mid-elevation rainforest for the Fisher Fund for Neotropical Conservation

The aim of the National Campaign is to provide the financial grounding necessary to secure the brightest possible future for students, faculty and academic life at York University.

"Few things have given me as much satisfaction as the endowment I gave and the response to it by York University," said York University's leading benefactor, Seymour Schulich, who donated a groundbreaking $15 million to the Schulich School of Business in 1995. "It is my hope that others will discover for themselves how much pleasure comes from being a part of the development of Canada's next generation of leaders," he said.

York University, founded in 1959, is Canada's third largest university, with more than 143,000 alumni worldwide. It is nationally and internationally respected for its innovative research and award-winning teaching. With its combination of dedicated and talented faculty, opportunities for bright and ambitious students, dynamic curriculum and modern campuses in one of North America's most influential urban centres, York University is setting the modern standard in academic excellence.

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For more information, please contact:

Terry Pursell
National Campaign Director
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22104

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22807
YU/090/98