What can you do with $1.41 billion?
As it turns out, a whole lot of incredible world-changing things. Positive, lasting transformation — fueled by your vision and involvement — is well underway on campus, in our community and beyond
The Energize campaign is defined by a fearless and visionary collective striving for excellence.
This historic initiative is committed to unleashing student potential; to advancing research, new knowledge and innovation; and to building a resilient city and world. Thanks to our exceptionally ambitious and devoted community, we are changing lives and shaping the future for generations to come.
Bridge the gap between research and business
Funded entirely through philanthropic support and activated by Innovate Calgary, UCeed is the university’s knowledge-transfer and business incubator. UCeed funds, trains, mentors and supports startup companies during the critical transitional stage between innovation demonstration and commercialization.
Bring the best and brightest students to Calgary
Funded by Chancellor’s Circle donors, the Chancellor’s Scholarship is one of UCalgary’s most prestigious awards. The scholarship attracts and retains top students from across Canada, bringing their remarkable abilities and aspirations to the university and the city.
Fuel community-building innovation
Created by UCalgary President Emerita Elizabeth Cannon and her husband, Dr. Gérard Lachapelle, the $1-million Cannon Lachapelle Award in Entrepreneurial Thinking is awarded to up to four undergraduate students each year, in any discipline, to explore innovation that builds community and elevates excellence around the world.
Start a conversation about masculinity — and keep it going
The Werklund School of Education’s Professorship in Masculinities Studies is the first of its kind in North America — and it was made possible with the support of the visionary Silver Gummy Foundation. The professorship enables UCalgary to advance critical research focused on the intersection of gender and education, examining the ways boys and men navigate school spaces and learn what it means to be a man.
Outfit generations of Dinos
Thanks to a unique legacy gift, Dinos Football players have their jerseys paid for in perpetuity, keeping them in UCalgary colours for years to come. Jack Neumann, who served as UCalgary Athletics’ sports information director and alumni relations coordinator before his retirement in 2012, continues to support Dinos Football to this day, as a volunteer and by funding the team’s jerseys — which players wore when they captured the Vanier Cup in 2019.
Invest in the future of engineering
As the first engineers to graduate from the university, the Schulich School of Engineering class of 1969 is a part of UCalgary history — but they’re far from stuck in the past. To mark their 50th anniversary, the forward-thinking former classmates established an award in 2019 for today’s engineering students who are making meaningful contributions to the engineering community.
Pay tribute to loved ones
The Romeo and Eva De Guia Faculty of Arts Scholarship supports international undergraduate students — and pays tribute to two champions for education. Jenny Chin, BA’99, a UCalgary staff member in the Office of Advancement, created the award in honour of her parents, and as a ‘thank you’ to the UCalgary doctors, professors and students she encountered during her parents’ illnesses.
Empower today’s students
The Durbeniuk Family Scholarship not only provides financial support to Kinesiology students, but also a much-appreciated confidence boost. Alumni donor Gary Durbeniuk was inspired by his own university experience in creating the award, knowing first-hand how much that validation means to a student.
Build a better community
Established by Dr. Baljit Singh, former dean of UCalgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Komagata Maru UVCM Travel Award provides students with more than financial assistance — it promotes understanding of global citizenship through conferences and other student activities.
Energize students across all faculties
A stellar example of power in numbers, the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW/Calgary) has collectively raised more than a quarter-million dollars over the years — including more than $160,000 during the Energize campaign — to support nearly a dozen scholarships and bursaries at UCalgary, benefitting student across all faculties. Not stopping there, the CFUW/Calgary’s dedicated fundraising efforts have created endowments of most of those awards, ensuring support for generations to come.
Honour a much-loved classmate
There are many ways to ensure the memory of a loved one continues after they have passed — the UCalgary mechanical engineering class of 1976 decided to pay tribute to a classmate by helping others like him. The Dan Mercier Class of 1976 Award in Mechanical Engineering was created in 2006 — and is still supported to this day — by his fellow mechanical engineering grads, along with family and friends of Dan Mercier. Each year, the award supports two promising third-year Schulich School of Engineering students who exemplify Mercier’s admirable work ethic.
Pave a brighter future
The Learn, Lead, Inspire Award was established in 2019 by alumni Slavko Uzelac, BSc (Eng)’09, and Patricia Gonzalez, BA’07, LLB’10, who believe in paying it forward. Each year, the award supports a first-year undergraduate student in STEM studies, with a preference for single parents who have dependent children. Having benefitted from student awards themselves — and recognizing the challenges that come with raising children while going to school — Gonzalez and Uzelac designed the award to lift up those who are working to better themselves and their families.
Establish North America’s largest outdoor classroom
J.C. (Jack) Anderson and his daughter, Wynne Chisholm, BA’79, donated their family’s cattle ranch — approximately 19,000 acres west of Calgary — to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), creating W.A. Ranches at the University of Calgary. The gift is remarkable not only for its size — it’s the largest ranch donation in North America and the largest gift of acres to a Canadian university — but also in what it offers to UCVM students. As a working cattle ranch, W.A. Ranches allows for the study of cattle in a complex, real-farm environment, enabling research that can improve management practices for ranchers as well as academic programming that produces better veterinarians with more hands-on experience.
Champion public health and education
Robustly reimagined through a transformational gift from Gail and David O’Brien (both Hon. LLD’10), the O’Brien Institute for Public Health is a magnet for innovative minds across the health sciences spectrum. The Institute advocates for better solutions and models of care and generates crucial data to improve health and health care for everyone. To date, the O’Briens have donated more than $21 million to UCalgary health research and education initiatives.
Advance infectious disease research
A transformative gift from Joan Snyder, Hon. LLD’11, established the Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases in 2008. Her continued support of the Institute and its core facilities has brought international recognition and acclaim to UCalgary during the Energize campaign, attracting government and philanthropic dollars to open the Live Cell Imaging Resource Laboratory and the International Microbiome Centre. The infrastructure created through Joan’s generosity supports UCalgary’s efforts to combat COVID-19, and fuels scientists who are changing the lives of people suffering from infectious and chronic diseases.
What else can you do with $1.41 billion?
Cultivate a world-class student experience
Your support unleashes boundless potential in our students. Now more than ever, our campus is a place that ignites passion, curiosity, determination and ingenuity.
Improve mental health and wellness
On campus and in the community, UCalgary is invested in mental health and wellness, offering supports and resources to students and conducting research brain and mental health research that unlocks new discoveries and treatments.
Preserve culture, art and history
With your generous support, our campus and community are enriched by programs and collections that celebrate and preserve culture, art and history.
Become leaders in innovation
As a city of trailblazers, UCalgary has become a 21st-century innovation university where big ideas have room to grow and entrepreneurial leaders have space to thrive.
Make life-changing medical advancements
As one of Canada’s leading research universities, UCalgary is home to bold advances in research that are changing the health of our communities, here at home and around the world.
Prepare students for next-gen careers
We’re redefining how — and where — we teach and learn, creating spaces where students connect and collaborate, and where big ideas grow and leaders thrive.