Who are the people behind student scholarships?

Giving Day is shining a spotlight on what scholarships mean for students and what impact these students go on to have in our communities. But who is on the other side? Who makes these scholarships possible? And why do they choose to invest in our students?

These are great questions, and the answers are wide-ranging. Each year, individuals, corporations and organizations show their passion and belief in our students by supporting them on their journey. Today, let’s get to know more about some of the folks who are showing their support for the University of Calgary's first-ever Giving Day.  

As someone who has chosen to give back to UCalgary for more than 50 years, Richard Haskayne believes part of his financial success was due to his education. He finds investing in students gratifying, as he is able to see what students have done, thanks in part to his family and their support in education.

• Richard Haskayne talks about student scholarships in this video. 

One Calgary organization, Canadian Muslims for Peace and Justice, has also committed to sparking change in our younger generation. Their hope is to raise $10,000 and leverage the matching funds to fund a two-year, $20,000 award to encourage research in an increasingly important topic: peace and security in Muslim civilizations.

“The Canadian Muslims for Peace and Justice envision a peaceful, safe and prosperous Canada as a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, pluralistic, democratic society and a liberal polity that is a model for the rest of the world to emulate,” says Riazuddin Ahmed, the founding member of the organization. “We believe in creating a scholarship through the University of Calgary in hopes of raising awareness regarding peace and security in the Muslim world.”

When the mechanical engineering class of 1976 was looking for a way to give back to the community and honour their classmate who lost his battle with cancer, they decided to set up the Dan Mercier Class of 1976 Engineering Award. The classmates, along with the Mercier family, support two annual scholarships to third-year mechanical engineering students.

• Watch a video about the mechanical engineering class of 1976. Their annual reunion also serves as an opportunity to meet the upcoming scholarship recipients.