scholarly pursuits 2009 | university of british columbia

Scholarly PursuitsA n a n n u a l c o m p e n d i u m o f s t o r i e s a b o u t t h e i m p a c t o f g i v i n g Fa l l 2 0 0 9

interior SavingS credit union SupportS lifelong learnerS at ubc okanagan

continued on back cover

3scholarship allows

student to contribute more

2a sustainable

scholarship honouring sustainability pioneer

4bursary support keeps hygienist in the clinic

6new awards

5friends come

together to create memorial scholarship

For many students, returning to school after a break is much harder than going to school in the first place. Resuming an academic career that is interrupted by other priorities – family needs; community service – can be particularly challenging.

“Everyone is on a different path in life, and we wanted to support people who are active in the community,” says Barry Meckler, President and CEO of Interior Savings Credit Union, explaining the organization’s motive for creating a bursary at UBC Okanagan for students who return to university after a pause of a year or more.

Interior Savings Credit Union is a financial institution with 80,000 members and 21 branches throughout the central and southern

interior of BC. In December 2008 Interior Savings and UBC announced the creation of the Lifelong Learner Bursary.

This bursary will be awarded annually, beginning in 2009, to a UBC Okanagan student with one or more dependents who is entering or returning to post-secondary education after a pause in studies of one year or more, and who has demonstrated active community involvement.

“Our organization is dedicated to the prosperity of our communities, and the people in them,” says Barry. “So we understand how important it is to support people who are active

Barry Meckler, President and CEO, and Amanda Sheehan, Community Investment Advisor, Interior Savings Credit Union

a SuStainable ScholarShip honouring a SuStainability pioneer

scholArly pursuits FAll 092

In 1997, UBC became the first Canadian university with a sustainability policy, and Dr. Freda Pagani became the first staff person in charge of implementing that policy. She had no money, no staff, and little support on campus. But like many pioneers before her, she had a novel idea: pay for the implementation with savings realized through energy efficiency and waste reduction.

Just 11 years later, in 2008, UBC was named the top Canadian post-secondary institution in the College Sustainability Report Card. Today the Sustainability Office, which Freda founded, supports four full-time and three part-time staff. It is funded, as it always was, out of savings in electricity, water and paper realized across campus.

It’s no wonder that when Dr. Pagani retired in 2007, her UBC colleagues, friends and students paid tribute to her by establishing the Freda Pagani Scholarship in Sustainability. “The idea for a scholarship came from my staff in the Sustainability Office. They knew I wouldn’t want a bag of golf clubs,” Freda laughs.

Freda joined UBC in 1989 as a design coordinator in what was then Plant Operations. The World of Opportunity fundraising campaign launched, and in less than a year Freda was appointed Associate Director of New Projects.

A highlight of Freda’s time in this role, and the project she calls “my baby”, was the development of the C.K. Choi Building: a multi-award winner and the first green building on campus. “I was

becoming very interested in environmental issues, especially after hearing a guest lecture by Dr. William Rees, who pioneered the idea of the ecological footprint. Buildings consume so many resources; eventually I knew that I either had to quit my job or start building in a different way.”

The C.K. Choi Building opened in 1996 and quickly became a model for other green buildings on campus such as the Liu Institute for Global Issues and the Life Sciences Centre.

Anticipating the completion of the World of Opportunity campaign, Freda began studying for a PhD in Resource Management and Environmental Studies. She completed her degree at about the same time as the university approved its sustainability policy, and she set to work on its implementation immediately.

The Freda Pagani Scholarship in Sustainability is open to graduate students in Resource Management and Environmental Studies. The scholarship will be awarded for the first time in the fall of 2009.

As an endowed award, this scholarship is inherently sustainable: the principal of the gift is invested and only the interest is used for the annual scholarship. This way, the award is maintained in perpetuity, and, as Freda says, “you know the money is going where it is really needed; to a deserving student who has the potential to really make a difference.”

Freda Pagani

scholArly pursuits FAll 09 3

ScholarShip allowS Student to contribute more

Even though he graduated last April with a BA in political science, Alex Etchell’s academic journey is far from over. This multi-scholarship recipient began his first year in law school at the University of Victoria in September 2009.

In his final year at UBC Alex received the Thelma Sharp Cook Scholarship, which recognized his academic standing as well as student leadership, athletic achievement and commitment to community. He previously received the Trek Excellence Scholarship, the Hugh Brock National Entrance Scholarship and the Trek Scholarship for Continuing Students.

Receiving an entrance scholarship helped Alex decide to attend UBC. “It was great to get the money, and I really felt good getting that personal letter from the university. It made me feel like they really wanted me to come to UBC.”

“Because of the scholarships, I could dedicate time to things I really wanted to do, time that I’d otherwise have to spend at a job.” Some of those things included volunteering in the Student Environment Centre, being a Sustainability Ambassador, and two years as a Residence Advisor.

Before attending UBC Alex studied at Pearson College of the Pacific on Vancouver Island. There he lived and studied with 200 other high school students from around the world. “We started a fundraising project for my roommate’s cousins in Kigali, Rwanda. Their father

couldn’t afford to send all the kids to school, because not even public school is free,” he says.

Thelma Sharp Cook is a professor emerita in the Faculty of Education, who has been “interested in working with young people my whole life.” As a UBC professor, she was instrumental in the creation of the Wesbrook Scholars group. “I was the chair of the Senate Awards Committee and we were fundraising to increase the number and value of scholarships and bursaries. There wasn’t any kind of club for excellent students, and so we established the Wesbrook Scholars. In the early days all we could offer was the prestige; there wasn’t any money!”

“The need is still there today,” she adds. “Scholarships allow students to accomplish some great things in their time at UBC.”

Thelma is clearly enthusiastic about Alex and other students who earn scholarships at UBC. “You need to keep an eye on these great students,” she says. “It won’t be surprising to see them become leaders of their communities because they have already had so many experiences, and because they know how to balance their time.”

To anyone who is considering establishing a scholarship, Thelma advises, “Do it now, when you can see the difference it makes. You can always find extra money that you can put toward a scholarship. It is so important for BC and Canada’s future.”

Alex Etchell and Thelma Sharp Cook

Madelene de Castro is a third-year student in the Dental Hygiene degree program, the only one of its kind in British Columbia. She was inspired as a child by her aunt, who is a dentist, and although her mother wanted her to study nursing, “I wasn’t interested in the whole body back then. But as I advance in the program I am realizing that oral health is an important part of overall health,” she says. “I’ve wanted to be a dental hygienist since I was in high school.” A bursary from UBC is helping Madelene fulfill her dream.

The Dental Hygiene program is highly competitive and growing in popularity each year. Madelene is part of the first graduating class in the new Entry to Practice program, in which students attend UBC for all four years. The other program, called Direct Entry, requires students to attend UBC in first and fourth years, and to study at Vancouver Community College, College of New Caledonia or Camosun College in second and third years.

Dental Hygiene students must pay an annual clinic fee of over $8,000 on top of tuition, student fees and books. Madelene’s full course load, combined with clinic work two nights a week and Saturday morning, means a part-time job to help offset these costs is out of reach. “Tuesdays and Thursdays are 12-hour days,” she says, “but I really enjoy the clinical practice.”

“Last year I really struggled financially. When you’re trying to study, thinking about money all the time is really stressful.” Madelene consulted a financial advisor in Enrolment Services, and discovered that a student loan would only cover 25% of her clinic fee.

Madelene was able to remain in the Dental Hygiene program thanks to the Edwin H.K. Yen Bursary in Dentistry. Dr. Yen was Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry from 1994 to 2007, and the bursary was endowed by alumni and friends in his honour.

Although most people are still likely to encounter a hygienist in their dentist’s office, Madelene is quick to point out how the profession is changing. “Dental hygienists are working in public health, administration, and research as well as in private dental practices. So far I’ve been doing some workshops with kids in grades 2 and 3, as well as ESL students. I like teaching them about good dental care and answering their questions.”

Next semester Madelene will have a clinical placement at Douglas College in New Westminster. “I strive to work hard and do my best so that I can contribute to the community. The financial assistance I received really helped me do this,” she says.


burSary Support keepS hygieniSt in the clinic

Madelene de Castro


friendS come together to create memorial award

When Andreas Baur died unexpectedly in December 2008, within days his friends and former classmates had established a Facebook group in his memory and were discussing how to create a scholarship or bursary in his honour. At the same time, three senior executives of Shoppers Drug Mart were recommending that a gift be made to UBC in Andreas’ name.

Thanks to Dan Worsley, former Associate Director for Awards Development, the two groups found out about each other and came together to create the Andreas Baur Shoppers Drug Mart Outreach Award.

Andreas graduated from the UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2008, and had returned to his home town of Quesnel to become the Associate (Pharmacist-owner) at the local Shoppers Drug Mart. His mother Annemarie says there was never a dull moment when Andreas was around. “He made a volleyball team with his staff. He was always in touch with friends. He loved the outdoors, he loved doing so many things.”

Andreas was also a dedicated volunteer who spent his summer months throughout school volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana and starting up an HIV clinic in Kenya.

Pavan Dhillon is the Associate at Shoppers Drug Mart on Campus at UBC Vancouver. He graduated with Andreas, and was one of his

closest friends. “Andreas’ experience of going to Africa was one of the key contributors to his character,” Pavan says. “When we were thinking about creating a scholarship, we wanted it to give others that life-changing experience.”

Lisa Gibbs is the Manager of Community Investment for Shoppers Drug Mart. “Our strength is in the Associate concept; the individual Pharmacist-owners in each store,” she says. “While Andreas had been an Associate for a short time, in BC everyone knows everyone else. The news of his sudden passing shocked us all and motivated us to action.”

The award inspired by Andreas is for students in Pharmaceutical Sciences who have demonstrated an interest in and commitment to working in communities that are underserved by health care professions.

Annemarie says, “We want to inspire students with this scholarship. Maybe this will get them thinking a little bit, becoming more socially conscious, helping others who are not as fortunate.”

Lisa adds, “Andreas was a special individual with so much ahead of him. Thankfully, it’s rare to establish an award in honour of a life cut so drastically short. This award represents his spirit, in perpetuity.”

Pavan reflects, “This award is a kind of consolation; it keeps some of Andreas’ spirit with us. We can’t change the event, just ourselves, for the better.”

Pavan Dhillon, Store Manager/Pharmacist, Shoppers Drug Mart

va n co u v e r c a m p u s

Applied ScienceB.C. Medtec Graduate Award in Biomedical Engineering

Delcan Corporation Graduate BursaryDelcan Corporation Undergraduate Bursary

John R. Grace Graduate Scholarship in Chemical and Biological EngineeringEdward and Aldine Madsen Scholarship

Martin Sikes Memorial Scholarship in Electrical and Computer EngineeringMartin Sikes Memorial Service Award in Electrical and Computer Engineering

Garreth Ewan Thomas Memorial Award in Mechanical Engineering

ArchitectureHB Lanarc Sustainability Award in Landscape Architecture

Grace Palomar Memorial ScholarshipSharp & Diamond Ecological Design Scholarship in Landscape Architecture

ArtSRobert Mills Clark Memorial Scholarship

Arnold and Orma Kyle Memorial Bursary in Religious StudiesReginald Palliser-Wilson Scholarship

Russ Patrick Arts Undergraduate Student Research AwardStafford D. Plant Scholarship in Fine Arts

Jared Stanley Memorial Prize

AthleticSSue Demaine Recreation Award

Nestor Korchinsky Recreation AwardGail Moore Memorial Thunderbird Women’s Golf Award

Thunderbird Women’s Softball Award

Audiology And Speech ScienceB.C. Association of Speech/Language Pathologists and

Audiologists Travel Award in AudiologyB.C. Association of Speech/Language Pathologists and

Audiologists Travel Award in Speech Pathology

SAuder School of BuSineSSBDO Dunwoody LLP Service Award

Grace Lap-Yu Chan BursaryConcert Properties Leaders’ Award

Lambda Alpha International Vancouver Prize in Real EstateReal Estate Council of British Columbia Scholarship

dentiStryRashida Ali Award in DentistryChris Clark Bursary in Dentistry

David Donaldson Bursary in DentistryW. Jo Gardner Memorial Award in Dental Hygiene

Monarch Pediatric Dental and Orthodontic Centre Bursary in DentistryMonarch Pediatric Dental and Orthodontic Centre Entrance Bursary in Dentistry

Dr. Juan Tobias International Scholarship in DentistryVancouver Iranian Dental Association Award in Dentistry

educAtionAlishia Nora Harris Memorial Practicum Award

School of Human Kinetics Physical Education BursaryInternational Tuition Award in Education (12-Month Option)International Tuition Award in Education (Two-Year Option)

Yvonne M. Marr Bursary in EducationShirley M. Wong Award in EducationShirley M. Wong Bursary in Education

foreStryGerry Burch Scholarship in Forest Sciences

Joseph and Joyce Gardner Scholarship in ForestryKenneth and Keith William Haley Memorial Bursary in Forestry

Tyler O’Farrell Memorial Prize in Sustainable Forest Management

grAduAte StudieSAudain Foundation Graduate Fellowship

Chemistry Graduate FellowshipFairchild Group Scholarship

Charlotte Douglas Fee Graduate AwardSherrill E. Grace Graduate Scholarship in English

Rita L. Irwin Graduate Scholarship in Visual Arts EducationMEC Graduate Research Fellowship in Sustainability

Freda Pagani Scholarship in SustainabilityPIBC Graduate Scholarship in PlanningJ. Lewis Robinson Memorial Scholarship

Pei-Huang Tung and Tan-Wen Tung Graduate Fellowship

lAnd And food SyStemSBritish Columbia Food Technologists Graduate Student Award

Jerry Heddinger Leadership Award in Food ScienceKatherine Hume Scholarship in Animal Welfare

lAwAssociation of Women in Finance Scholarship in Law

Kenneth H. Crook Memorial Scholarship in LawGraduating Class of Law 1988 Vince Bjorndahl Bursary

Allan McEachern Memorial Scholarship in LawProsecution Services of British Columbia Bursary in Criminal Law

medicineCharlotte Borgen Memorial Scholarship

Mark Cohen Prize in OphthalmologyDr. and Mrs. Victor Fenyo Scholarship

Genetic Counselling Graduate Entrance ScholarshipDr. Dimitrios Giannoulis Memorial Prize for Over-

seas Rotation Research Project in AnesthesiaDr. Dimitrios Giannoulis Memorial Prize in Regional Anesthesia

Judith Gurney Memorial Bursary in MedicineYamuna Kalyampur Prize in Obstetrics and Gynecology

Philip W. Leong ScholarshipM. Gail MacDonald Memorial Bursary in MedicineDr. Adam Margesson Award in Addictions Medicine


new awardS a p p rov e d by s e n at e s i n 2 0 0 8 - 0 9 w i n t e r s e s s i o n

medicine (cont’d)Medical Staff Association for the South Island Bursary

Faculty of Medicine BursaryOmer H. Patrick II Memorial Prize

Ernest Williams Bursary in CardiologyAnna P. Winkler Memorial Bursary in Medicine

muSicFenyo Prize in Music

Tanabe Thorne Scholarship in OperaAlban and Audrey Tufts Memorial Scholarship in Music

occupAtionAl therApyOTDBASE Distant Fieldwork Award in Occupational Therapy

JR Rehabilitation Services Graduate Award in Occupational Therapy

open AwArdS, BurSArieS And ScholArShipS Graduating Class of 1948 Bursary

Michael Topolewski Memorial Bursary

phArmAceuticAl ScienceSFrank S. Abbott Scholarship

Andreas Baur Shoppers Drug Mart Outreach AwardFinlay Angus Morrison and Dorothy Ellen Morrison ScholarshipCheryl L. Olma Memorial Bursary in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Pharmaceutical Sciences Travel Abroad AwardWaters Limited Graduate Student Travel Award

ScienceSheridan Amanda Hepner Memorial Bursary

Werner and Hildegard Hesse Fellowship in OrnithologyR. Grant Ingram Memorial Scholarship in Oceanography

o k a n ag a n c a m p u s

AthleticSCapri Insurance Athletics Entrance Scholarship

Coast Capri Hotel Men’s Varsity Athlete of the Year AwardCoast Capri Hotel Women’s Varsity Athlete of the Year Award

creAtive And criticAl StudieSDoug Biden Memorial Scholarship in Visual Arts

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Art History PrizeFaculty of Creative and Critical Studies Creative Writing PrizeFaculty of Creative and Critical Studies Cultural Studies Prize

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies English PrizeFaculty of Creative and Critical Studies French Prize

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies French Essay PrizeFaculty of Creative and Critical Studies Spanish Prize

Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies Visual Arts Prize

open AwArdS, BurSArieS And ScholArShipSLena Benson Aboriginal Scholarship

Interior Savings Lifelong Learner BursaryIODE Silver Star Achievement Award

UBC Okanagan Bursary


a Q u i c k g u i d e to awa r d t y p e s

ScholArShipSThese monetary awards recognize academic achievement and help students with the cost of continuing their education. Scholarships are merit-based, and recipients must be in the top 10% of their class or have an average of 75% or higher.

BurSArieS A bursary is a non-repayable award that helps to fill the gap between a student’s assessed financial need and available government assistance. UBC’s Policy 72 states that “No eligible student will be prevented from commencing or continuing his or her studies at the University for financial reasons alone.” In 2008-09, UBC issued $12.6 million in bursaries to 3,161 students.

fellowShipS These prestigious awards enable graduate students to concentrate full-time on their studies and research. They are granted on the basis of academic excellence and/or research productivity.

prizeS Students can receive prizes for academic excellence or achievement in a particular subject area. Prizes usually take the form of a monetary award, sometimes accompanied by a medal, plaque or certificate.

Service AwArdS These monetary awards recognize excellence in a range of non-academic fields, such as community service, student leadership, volunteerism, and athletic or artistic performance. They are given to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Please contact us for more information on how to set up your choice of award at UBC.

If you want to support UBC students, we can help. Our experience and expertise can help you turn your ideas into student awards.

UBC Development Office500 – 5950 University Blvd.Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3

UBC Okanagan Development Office3333 University WayKelowna, BC Canada V1V 1V7

www.supporting.ubc.ca/givingoptions

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DESIGNED BY ANN GONçALVES | UBC PUBLIC AFFAIRS. ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY EUGENE LIN, ExCEPT AMANDA SHEEHAN AND BARRY MECKLER, BY MICHAEL HEROUx.

interior SavingS continued from cover story

rhonda roth Associate directorAwards developmentgift and estate planningPhone [email protected] 604.822.8151

contAct us

lesley campbell managerAwards developmentgift and estate planningPhone [email protected] 604.822.8151

sharon de vries major gifts officeruBc okanaganPhone [email protected] 250.807.9211

F P O F P O

i n t ro d u c i n g r h o n da rot hRhonda Roth is the new Associate Director for Awards Development as of August 2009. She takes over in this position from Dan Worsley, who has retired after 30 years of service to UBC.

Rhonda was born in Vancouver and raised in Calgary, and graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts in political science. While still a student, she began volunteering in a Faculty of Commerce fundraising campaign and quickly became interested in the field of fundraising. She took a position with a hospital foundation in Calgary and worked there until returning to Vancouver in 2001 to work at UBC.

Before joining the Gift and Estate Planning unit, Rhonda held positions of increasing responsibility in the Development Office in the Faculty of Medicine, culminating in her role as Associate Director of Development. “I had begun to work with donors who were giving to student awards, and I found myself drawn to that special group,” she says. “Dan was a mentor to me, so it is very rewarding for me to continue in the position that he has left.”

Rhonda looks forward to working with existing donors and encouraging new ones to support awards for UBC students.

and volunteering in the community; people who have family or community obligations that so far have kept them from pursuing their education goals.”

“We know that these people have the potential to become strong leaders because they value both education and building community.”

The Lifelong Learner Bursary joins a bursary that Interior Savings previously established at UBC Okanagan, for which any student in financial need is eligible.

Interior Savings has also partnered with UBC Okanagan in a monthly luncheon series that brings together successful UBC alumni with third and fourth year students. The three or four alumni have a panel discussion about their education and careers, helping students understand that a successful career pathway is not necessarily linear. “We get excellent feedback on these events from the students and alumni,” says Amanda Sheehan, Community Investment Advisor for Interior Savings.

She adds, “The staff at UBC Okanagan were fantastic to work with in creating the Lifelong Learner Bursary. And it’s wonderful that this is an endowment that will endure over time.”

scholarly pursuits 2009 | university of british columbia

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