New scholarship program invests in Canada’s next global leaders

June 13, 2014

News

The new Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships will help develop the next generation of innovative leaders and community builders, both locally and globally, say Canada’s universities and community foundations.

The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and Community Foundations of Canada (CFC) are proud to partner with the Government of Canada and the Rideau Hall Foundationin the program, which was announced today by Prime Minister Stephen Harper,following a meeting at Rideau Hall with His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada.The initiative will provideup to $40-million in scholarships in its first five years.

“The Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships offer young people in Canada and throughout the Commonwealth an outstanding opportunity to gain research-based global experiences that will benefit them throughout their careers,” says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC.  “I salute the efforts of the Government of Canada, former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and our universities in making this ambitious new scholarship program a reality.”

“Canada’s community foundation network is proud to be part of this collaborative effort, which involves so many partners and contributors. We look forward to working with them, and others, to engage a dynamic new network of young people across Canada and the Commonwealth,” said Ian Bird, President of Community Foundations of Canada and Executive Director of the Rideau Hall Foundation.

As the technical leader of the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships program, AUCC will draw upon its wealth of experience in working with partners that support postsecondary education through scholarships and bursaries.  It will use existing networks in Canada and throughout the Commonwealth to raise the profile of the program and communicate its value and engage with universities and community partners to enhance the program and report on its results.

CFC will use its philanthropic expertise to steward, invest and disburse the funding to participating universities across Canada. A special purpose charitable trust will be created to hold the funding and will be governed by an independent committee.

AUCC is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, representing the interests of 97 public and private not-for-profit universities and university degree-level colleges.

CFC is the network for Canada’s 191 community foundations, which play a crucial role in how people give back where communities need it most. They manage $3.8 billion in assets and invested more than $158 million in Canadian communities last year alone.

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About Universities Canada
Universities Canada is the voice of Canada’s universities at home and abroad, advancing higher education, research and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians.

Media contact:

Lisa Wallace
Assistant Director, Communications
Universities Canada
[email protected]

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