Student, faculty give thanks to post-secondary investors

Without millions of dollars in donations each year, many students would be hard-pressed to pay for their post-secondary education.

It would also limit their options of schools to attend.

Count Ruth-Anne Orloci-Goodison among the latter crowd.

A southern Ontario transplant and recipient of Lakehead University’s Presidential Scholarship, the first-year geology student said without the financial assistance she likely would have chosen a school much closer to home.

She joined fellow students and faculty members on Wednesday to thank individual and corporate donors for their support.

As the guardians of the future, Orloci-Goodison said every bit of financial assistance helps today’s generation of students during their time at university and once their school days are done.

“It’s important to support people who might not otherwise have the chance to nurture their ingenuity,” she said.

There would probably be a lot fewer students continuing their education beyond high school, she added.

“It’s an incentive for a lot of students to come to university, but also, it gives them the chance to actually come to university. A lot of students would never have that opportunity if they didn’t receive financial aid,” Orloci-Goodison said.

Dean Jobin-Bevans, the dean of the school’s faculty of social services and humanities said connecting donors with the students is a way to show the people giving the money the good it’s doing, while giving students a chance to say thanks.

The money is critical, he said.

“At a time when the cost of education is mounting, the costs are very difficult sometimes for the students to negotiate. This gives us an opportunity to thank our donors and to encourage the continuation of donations,” Jobin-Bevans said.

The ability to offer financial aid is a great recruitment took for Lakehead University, he added. It also enhances their student experience.

“Scholarships, awards and bursaries are an essential part of student engagements for Lakehead University. The total amounts are in the millions. But I can tell, what’s important is the continuance of healthy endowment funds.”

The funds allow the school to cover the ongoing cost of scholarships and bursaries.

“And that has the greatest impact for our students,” Jobin-Bevans said.