Giving Report

In 2021-22, individual Mountie2Mountie gifts ranged from $5 to $20,000 and collectively more than $300,000 was raised. Donations supported direct financial aid to students, work integrated
learning opportunities for international students, sexual violence prevention and education, and the student food bank.

“There are so many activities and resources that go into the education that differentiates Mount Allison from other universities,” says Marcie Meekins (’12), Mount Allison’s manager of alumni giving. “The Mountie2Mountie Fund is a powerful way donations of all sizes can have a direct impact on delivering this unique educational experience.”

Khang Nguyen was one of 60 students who received a scholarship or bursary from the fund.

“I am an international student from Vietnam and just finished my first year at Mount Allison,” says Nguyen. “This dream of mine only did come true thanks to the generosity of the Mountie2Mountie donors, therefore, I want to say from my heart “Cảm ơn” (Thank you).”

Nguyen is pursuing a Commerce degree, with a minor in psychology. He sees these two areas of study as a perfect set for his ambition to work in marketing. Beyond the classroom, his favourite experience as a first-year student was making the varsity badminton team.

Nguyen describes receiving a Mountie2Mountie bursary as making life more comfortable and adding joy to his life. “Every little bit counts and it’s amazing to receive this support from people who don’t even know me,” he says. “It shows me how willing Canadians are to help.”

Each year, the Mountie2Mountie Fund will support much-needed financial aid along with identified emerging priorities and new learning programs and services.

“We are really grateful to our Mountie2Mountie donors for making this collective effort to support students,” says Meekins.

The 1839 Society

Mount Allison’s newly founded 1839 Society recognizes and celebrates donors who put the University high on their philanthropic priorities with contributions of $1,000 or more annually. Members receive specialized reporting on the impact of their gifts and exclusive invitations to events. Individuals who make contributions of $1,000 or more in one calendar year are automatically members of the Society for the following year.

To learn more, visit mta.ca/annualgiving

When Michael Mohammed (’03) turned 40, he realized he didn’t have a will and started looking at his options.

“It was as simple as understanding I was at a point in my life where I had acquired assets, had no plan for them, and it was time I made sure that those assets would go where I wanted them to go.”

Mohammed quickly settled on creating a student award at Mount Allison and reached out to his alma mater to discuss the details. His legacy gift will create the Michael I. Mohammed Award, which will cover full university costs (tuition, accommodations, meals, and textbooks) for students with a physical or sensory disability.

“I want to give others the opportunity to have the kind of productive, happy, engaging experience I had as a university student, so my alma mater was the obvious choice of where to leave my gift.”

Mohammed is legally blind and remembers with great warmth the personalized, collegial supports he received on campus when he arrived as a transfer student from university in his hometown of Toronto.

“There was a wonderful willingness to work with me. When I had a concern or needed an accommodation, Mount Allison immediately responded. I always felt like I was getting much better service than I would have at a large institution.”

The intent of Mohammed’s legacy gift is to remove barriers to education for future students. He points out that people with disabilities are less likely to attend post-secondary education, to graduate from University, and to find meaningful employment. He knows there are so many obstacles and wanted to remove one of them — the worry about money.

Mohammed recently attended an event for members of the Mount Allison Legacy Society, individuals who have included a gift to the University in their estates. He says he was
surprised and a little disappointed that there were not more people in attendance from his age demographic.

“It would be great to see other people in my age group taking these kinds of steps. You don’t have to leave everything to the University — it could be just a small part of your estate, but it’s nice to think you are giving back to an institution that has shaped your life while at the same time you are helping shape the lives of future generations.”

Giving back to Mount Allison through your estate is an extraordinary expression of appreciation and dedication.

“With legacy gifts, donors of various means can have historic impacts on the Mount Allison experience and on student success,” says Bruce Blandford (’79), Mount Allison’s senior advancement officer.

“The University also recognizes that estate planning is a deeply personal decision and I am honoured to work with individuals and families making this type of investment in the future.”

 

Doug (’80) and Catherine (MacQuade) Fraser (’80) are from a family filled with Mount Allison alumni. They recently arranged gifts in their wills toward the Doug and Catherine Fraser Family Scholarship to support students from Alberta to attend Mount Allison. The couple is also making current gifts toward their scholarship so they can see its impact during their lifetimes.

“Mount Allison has done an amazing job in supporting us in our charitable giving. We genuinely feel that our gifts are appreciated and are making a difference.”

 

The University’s Legacy Society recognizes and celebrates the visionary philanthropy of friends and alumni who have confirmed that Mount Allison is part of their estate plans. Members receive special communications and invitations to select donor gatherings.

For more information on Legacy Giving, visit mta.ca/legacygiving

Our deepest appreciation goes to the members of the Mount Allison Legacy Society:

Mount Allison’s unique brand of education and student experience is where it all started for Jane Craighead (‘80).

After graduating, Craighead went on to earn a CPA and PhD and enjoy a long career in leadership at some of Canada’s largest companies. Throughout it all, she’s remained a long-time volunteer with Mount Allison — a stalwart supporter of the University’s historical strengths and a passionate advocate for what her alma mater can achieve next.

This is why Craighead and her husband, James Cherry, created prestigious grants for students pursuing exciting innovations — everything from entrepreneurship and the development of new product prototypes and technologies to vital community engagement projects.

“Outside the box thinking is more critical today than ever and the Mount A model is the perfect setting to foster creative thinking and innovation,” says Craighead. “Where else can someone be so easily exposed to so much — the arts, the sciences, and the social sciences? Mount Allison is a natural incubator.”

The Jane Craighead and James Cherry Innovation Grants are co-ordinated through the University’s Office of Experiential Learning and Career Development. Thanks to Craighead, Cherry, and other donors, each year staff in this office administer valuable incubator and start-up funding to student-led ventures.

“It’s another way students at our small, top-quality institution always get to stand out, forge new paths, and make positive change in this world,” says Rebecca Leaman, Mount Allison’s director of experiential learning and career development.

Beyond-the-classroom innovation is a Mount Allison priority,” says Leaman. “We are deeply appreciative to Jane and James for showing others what powerful opportunities exist to support students.”

Following her second year as a Commerce and aviation student, Alexia Bourgeois received the Jane Craighead and James Cherry Innovation Grant. An aspiring entrepreneur, Bourgeois is developing an online travel planning platform that will offer users more personalized trip suggestions.

“I am so appreciative to Jane Craighead and James Cherry for this opportunity,” says Bourgeois. “I have connected with brilliant entrepreneurs and mentors, been able to pitch my ideas, and gained incredible feedback and advice.”

Students are benefiting from increased academic support services thanks to the generosity of Scotiabank. Created last fall, ScotiaSPARC (Student Peer Academic Resource Centre) offers study skills workshops for first-year students; peer tutoring and peer mentoring programming; outreach and support specifically designed for Indigenous, international, and first-generation students; and an early alert system that helps the University identify and support struggling students and get them the supports they need as soon as possible.

In its first year, close to 1,000 students used ScotiaSPARC programming.

“ScotiaSPARC builds on the University’s existing resources and programs and provides students lots of options for help as they navigate their pursuit of a university education,” says Shelly Collette, manager of academic support. “These kinds of supports are more important than ever as students are transitioning to university life after years of learning in challenging pandemic conditions.”

This past year, emphasis was placed on creating programming for students first in their family to attend university. These first-gen students often face additional challenges such as low-income, difficulty integrating into academic communities, and lack of professional networks.

“Education was always a big deal in my family — neither of my parents got the opportunity to complete their high school education growing up,” says Cynthia Dyck (’22). “Reaching the next level, university, was a huge milestone in my family’s eyes. I remember a lot of my peers in high school viewing university as just another step to take in the path of life — but for me, I was deviating from family norms.”

Dyck graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and this past year, thanks to ScotiaSPARC, took on a new role at the University.

“I was so proud to be Mount Allison’s First Gen Post-Grad Intern, helping create programming to support new students from backgrounds like mine. For example, I kicked off a new first-generation peer mentor program, where first-year students were paired with upper-years to help navigate the social aspects of university. We had 45 students participate.”

ScotiaSPARC is part of ScotiaRISE, the bank’s 10-year $500 million initiative that aims to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups. Through ScotiaRISE, Scotiabank partners with programs and organizations that provide the tools people need to improve their education and employment prospects, adapt to changing circumstances, and increase the likelihood of financial success.

At Mount Allison, there is a long tradition of Convocation and Reunion events happening the same weekend each spring. It’s meant generations of Allisonians coming together to celebrate graduates, reminisce, and share stories across the decades, whether at formal on-campus events or while waiting in line for coffee at a Sackville café.

When Danny Williamson attended his five-year reunion in 2008, he met the University’s alumni association president and found himself in a passionate conversation about young alumni engagement and the role Mount Allison graduates could play in the future of the University. The conversation led to Williamson serving on the Alumni Association Board from 2009 to 2015 and continuing to volunteer with his alma mater.

“The alumni board was my first big board experience,” says Williamson. “It was work that was really valuable and as a young alum it was a great professional experience.”

Much of Williamson’s volunteerism and advocacy with the University has focused on his belief that the world needs more Mount Allison graduates.

“I’m interested in helping Mount Allison and its students tackle the big challenges the world faces, everything from climate change to good governance,” says Williamson. “These issues are complex, interconnected, layered on top of one another. The kind of high-quality education Mount A students get is so important to addressing these challenges.”

Williamson understands students today face tremendous pressures and that there are many ways alumni and friends of the University can help remove obstacles and make it just a little bit easier to get a Mount Allison education.

“We can volunteer in classrooms, with special events and the alumni association, connect with students. Mount Allison needs our energy and effort — and for volunteers, it’s a rewarding experience.”

Williamson recently volunteered with the Alumni Engagement Office on strategic planning and with helping students through COVID-related isolation requirements. He is now busy planning his 20th Reunion.

While there are lots of people and places where you can give your time and money, Williamson argues that supporting the Mount Allison experience will have a powerful ripple effect.

“You just don’t know what a Mount A graduate will do, how they will impact the world, but I know the world has a better chance thanks to past, present, and future graduates of Mount Allison. They are going to go out there and surprise us.”

The Emera BIPOC Returning Student Award supports students who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Colour (BIPOC).

Kailey Trenholm is one of the award’s inaugural recipients. She identifies as mixed with Cree roots to Fort McKay First Nation in northeast Alberta and has spent most of her life in the territory of the Mi’kma’ki in Southeastern, NB.

“This award and others like it are extremely important because it is showing students from a historically oppressed minority that they are worth an education and there are people who stand in their corner,” says Trenholm.

“As an Indigenous person, I feel deeply connected to the heartbreaking events that have happened throughout Canada’s history and still today. Mount Allison has done an amazing job at decolonizing its campus and ways of thinking, making it a more inviting space for Indigenous students.”

Trenholm is in her fourth year of a degree in classics, with a minor in Indigenous studies. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Bachelor of Education and to teach Kindergarten.

“The Emera BIPOC Returning Student Award will ease some of the stress that comes with paying for my final year of school and will give me a little more time to focus on my studies.”

The award was created through Emera’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Fund, a collaborative effort across Emera and its operating companies to directly support programs and initiatives that advance and promote diversity, help to remove barriers, and support education and awareness.

Mount Allison is committed to Indigenous language, knowledge building, healing, and reconciliation. Recent activities have included introducing a Minor in Indigenous studies, a Certificate in Studies of Indigenous History, and a Certificate in Mi’kmaq Studies.

Other Recent Mount Allison Achievements:

• Return to in-person Convocation with ceremonies for the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022.
• Named best undergraduate university in Canada for record 23rd time (Maclean’s rankings).
• McCormack Gymnasium and Athletic Centre undergoes a $5.5 million renewal project that includes a new gymnasium floor, scoreboard, and seating.
• Students participate in field schools in the Netherlands and Belize as part of the Government of Canada’s Global Skills Opportunity program.
• 25 new degree and certificate programs including a minor in Indigenous studies, Certificate in Mi’kmaq Studies, Bachelor of Arts and Science in Interdisciplinary Health Studies, joint major in Computer Science and Music, and Certificate in Arts Administration.
• President Jean-Paul Boudreau named to Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO list.