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Weekly News Recap: June 30, 2017

Vincent Duckworth

Captain Megan Couto CREDIT: HEATHCLIFF O'MALLEY

As if you could kill time without injuring eternity -- Henry David Thoreau

Inspiring

News

  • History made with first woman to captain Queen's guard (The Telegraph) CANADIAN STORY This is a terrific honour for Canada and for the PPCLI. "When Captain Megan Couto calls out her oh-so-familiar drill commands on Monday morning, she will make history. At 24 years old and five foot two-and-a half tall, she will become the first woman to command the Queen’s Guard in its 180 years at Buckingham Palace." 6/24/17
  • Why Calgary may be starting to climb back from the agonizing recession (CBC) CALGARY STORY "There is now a sense that Calgary is starting its comeback. The unemployment rate is slowly starting to come down, and although there are still 85,000 people looking for work in the city, [About Staffing] said [they are] hiring back [their] staff and getting busy again, both with oil and non-oil jobs." 6/23/17
  • Royal Alberta Museum to open in early 2018 (CBC) EDMONTON STORY Can't wait. It is going to be great. "The $375.5-million project will feature 72,000 square feet of permanent exhibition space, roughly double the area in the museum's old location which closed in December 2015." 6/12/17

Philanthropic personalities

Trends and shifts

  • Innovation on the Rise: Achieving Systemic Change (The Philanthropist) CANADIAN CONTENT Yes, we remain highly resistant to change but innovation has and continues to occur in the sector. References to innovations like "Timeraiser" and quotes from Calgary's own Katherine van Kooy abound. Thanks to Ron Bailey for sharing this post with us. 6/26/17
  • Americans expand the idea of giving – and goodness (Christian Science Monitor) This is a big number. "An estimated one-third of affluent families now hold impact investments, according to Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and U.S. Trust. And in a survey by the Global Impact Investing Network, the size of this market reached more than $113 billion last year." Thanks to Michelle Regel for sharing this post. 6/14/17

Opinion

  • Dear Jeff Bezos: Philanthropy For The 'Right Now' Is Not Good Enough (Forbes) "The problem with the short-term perspective is that it positions philanthropy as charity rather than a mechanism for shaping a more just, equitable world. Didn’t we decide long ago that there was more power in teaching how to fish than giving a fish?" 6/23/17

Uncommon knowledge

  • What McMaster University learned from a record donation (Globe and Mail) HAMILTON STORY Fantastic 'behind-the-curtains' article on the record-setting DeGroote gift to McMaster University in 2003. "'What we learned,' recalls Mr. Trull, who retired in 2011, 'and what others have learned since, is that people want to support a winner and they want to get on board.'" 6/27/17

Life and career hacks

  • Top 10 Graduation Speeches of All Time (The Mission) I have watched three of these in the past. I just watched Sheryl Sandberg's and it was the best 25 minutes I have watched in six months. I am going to watch them all now. 6/22/17
  • Obsessed: Bullet Journals (TCR) Great article with new ideas and resources for those who like rapid journaling aka Bullet Journalling. 6/14/17

Large gifts

  • UCO Athletics Receives Anonymous $13.5 Million Donation (Broncho Sports) "The University of Central Oklahoma athletic department [...] received another record-setting gift – a $13.5 million anonymous donation – to construct a new baseball stadium and fund athletic scholarships. The donation is the largest in school history, surpassing a record of $10 million gift less than two years ago." The University of Central Oklahoma is a coeducational public university located in Edmond, Oklahoma. 6/27/17
  • Brescia receives $1 million donation for women’s education in Canada (CTV) LONDON STORY A group of nuns, the Ursuline Sisters, have made a contribution to the London-based college. "The endowed fund will be flexible in its use, allowing Brescia to support projects to assist women." Brescia University College is a women's Catholic liberal arts college located in London, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, Brescia is the only university-level women's college in Canada. 6/27/17
  • Huntsman-Reid friendship yields $1 million donation to UNLV (Las Vegas Sun) "Philanthropist and businessman Jon Huntsman Sr. has donated $1 million to [the University of Las Vegas at Nevada] UNLV’s department of history to fund the study of the Intermountain West region, according to the university." 6/27/17
  • $2.25 Million Dollar Donation to Father Baker's Campaign (NBC) "Our Lady of Victory Homes of Charity (OLV) [has] received a $2.25 million donation [...]. The money, donated from The Adams Family, will go toward the organization's campaign for Father Baker. The capital campaign was started five years ago to continue his legacy of caring. The campaign has now raised more than $11 million, $950,000 short of its $12 million goal." OLV is located in Buffalo, New York. 6/27/17
  • Brandeis Scores Record $50M Donation For Financial Aid (Fast Forward) I love financial aid gifts. And if you are going to Brandeis, you will likely need it. Undergraduate tuition in 2015 was just over $47,000 (USD). "Brandeis University has received a $50 million gift — the largest single donation in the suburban Boston school’s 69-year history — to provide financial aid annually for hundreds of students. The gift from the estate of Rosaline and Marcia Cohn announced Tuesday by the university will establish the Jacob and Rosaline Cohn Endowed Scholarship and Fellowship Fund, providing assistance to undergraduate and graduate students." 6/27/17
  • FAU Lifelong Learning program gets $4 million donation (Sun Sentinel) This is a lovely gift although the juxtaposition of a gift to support a seniors citizen's program in Florida is...amusing. "A California philanthropist, [Bernard Osher], has donated $4 million to Florida Atlantic University's Lifelong Learning Society, which offers classes, concerts and entertainment to South Florida’s senior citizens." 6/27/17
  • Cohen Foundation makes eight-figure donation to MoMA (Stamford Advocate) Steven and Alexandra believe that the arts "can, and should, enrich all people’s lives." I completely agree. "The foundation of hedge fund billionaire Steven Cohen and his wife, Alexandra, has made a $50 million donation to The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, museum officials announced Tuesday. The unrestricted gift from the Stamford-based nonprofit will go to a capital campaign, to support the museum’s ongoing renovation and expansion [...]." 6/27/17
  • UPEI’s math and computer science school gets $350K donation from TD (The Guardian) PEI STORY "Math and computer science students at the UPEI will now be better equipped to enter the job market thanks to a $350,000 donation. TD Bank Group presented the cheque to the university’s School of Mathematics and Computational Sciences this week. The gift will be put towards programming, including experiential learning opportunities, scholarships and awards, and establishing the TD Student Learning Centre." 6/26/17
  • Professor and his wife donate $1 million for UCLA professorship fund (Daily Bruin) "UCLA received a $1 million donation to endow a professorship in medical and drug research. Michael Jung, a distinguished chemistry and biochemistry professor, and his wife Alice Jung made the donation to establish the Michael and Alice Jung Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery [...]." 6/25/17
  • Benefactor gives $2.5 million for new regional art museum at SIC (Herald Tribune) This, for the love of a sister, an art teacher. "The Ella Elizabeth Hise Museum of Regional Art is being funded by the largest single-donor gift [Southeastern Illinois College] has ever received. It will be devoted to the study and collection of regional art. Retired Air Force Colonel William C. Hise and the estate of his late twin brother Air Force Brigadier General James C. Hise, who passed away in February of 2016, made the donation. This museum will be named in honor of their sister, Ella Elizabeth Hise, a longtime teacher and art supervisor for Harrisburg public schools." 6/23/17
  • Negro League Baseball Museum receives impressive $1M donation (Philadelphia Tribune) Well done MLB! "The Negro League Baseball history is huge. That was quite evident [...] when the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball announced that they are jointly contributing $1 million to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo." 6/23/17
  • Donation gives USC engineering instruction major boost (The State) A significant and useful gift to be sure but, in my experience, this type of valuation for 'equipment and software' is based on retail pricing of, often outdated, capital. "A $628 million donation of equipment and software will allow the University of South Carolina to significantly improve its training of engineers with the digital technology that’s now an everyday tool of the profession. The donation from Siemens Corp. will create a factory-style laboratory that will provide students with significant experience in cutting-edge technology [...]." 6/22/17
  • Tourmaline CEO contributes $26 million to charity (JWN Energy) CANADIAN STORY Wow! A tremendous gift. I got tired just reading the recipient list. Whew! "[CEO] Mike Rose is donating $26 million to fund charities supporting youth education, health, and sports. Rose’s new charitable investments will include: A major donation to the new Innovation Commons in the Engineering Faculty at Queen's University, ongoing funding of the new Masters Program in Earth and Energy Resources Leadership at Queen’s, lead donation for the ongoing Strathcona-Tweedsmuir major school expansion project, additional funding for the new Hotchkiss Brain Institute REEF initiative and the related Tourmaline Chair for Parkinson's Research at the University of Calgary, sole donation for the baseball fieldhouse at the University of British Columbia and a major donation for the new UBC Thunderbirds Baseball stadium project, sole donation for the post-flood rebuilding of the Stanley Park Little League baseball stadium in Calgary and, a major donation for the Community Hubs and All In for Youth United Way programs in Calgary." Thanks to Derek and Andrea Fraser for sharing this post. 6/21/17
  • Transformational gift to bone and joint institute creates McCaig Institute Foundation (UToday) CALGARY STORY Another lovely gift in a long line of gifts from the McCaig family. "Through this $10-million investment via the McCaig Institute Foundation, the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health will now have a secure source of operating funds to support the critical work being done by its world-class group of scientists and clinicians." 6/20/17

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