Bill and Denise Andrew Make it a Million: New Scholarships in Education and Engineering
UPEI Chancellor Bill Andrew and his wife Denise have made a series of substantial donations to support university programs and students over the past six months. Now they have created two new renewable scholarships in Education, and one in Engineering, that bring their total gifts to the university to $1 million.
The scholarships announcement comes just a week after the Andrew family made a $250,000 contribution toward the Atlantic Veterinary College's capital expansion. Earlier in September, they donated $310,000 for a range of initiatives, including Cass building renovations; graduate scholarships in Island Studies; new instruments for the Music department; Faculty of Education international travel bursaries; priorities in the School of Nursing; and women's athletics. In May, they made a $100,000 donation to the planned new School of Business and Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship on the campus.
"In his first year as Chancellor, Bill Andrew has shown us what it means to truly believe in UPEI and to invest in our future," says UPEI President Wade MacLauchlan. "This demonstrates the rich array of ways that dedicated donors can make a significant difference, through scholarships, capital improvements, athletics, musical instruments and other areas of critical support. We cannot say how much we appreciate this generosity and leadership."
The latest gift is for two $2,000 scholarships to be offered annually to students entering the UPEI Bachelor of Education program. They honour Joyce M. (Hooper) Andrew, Bill Andrew's mother, who passed away in December 2004. Joyce Andrew was a teacher and a committed community and church volunteer. She served as Chair of the Provincial Exhibition Committee for the PEI Women's Institute, Vice President and Secretary of Education of the Milton ACW, and as a member of the PEI Board of Anglican Church women. For many years she was also a Sunday School teacher.
The first recipients were announced at the Deans' Honours and Academic Awards ceremony on October 3. They were Timothy Jesty and Isabelle LeBlanc. Beginning in 2008, four Joyce M. (Hooper) Andrew renewable scholarships of $2,000 will be offered in perpetuity, supported by an endowment fund. Preference will be given to students who demonstrate strong academic achievement and who are international students, members of minority groups, or plan to teach in an area with a teacher shortage. Community involvement will also be a consideration.
The Andrew Renewable Scholarship in Engineering will be offered each year to a deserving student who has graduated from a PEI high school and is entering the three-year Engineering program at UPEI. The student will receive the $2,000 scholarship for each year of the program, provided he or she maintains an overall average of 80 per cent each year. The first recipient, Cathy Tse, was announced at the Deans' Honours and Academic Awards ceremony on October 4.
Denise and Bill Andrew's gifts are important contributions to the UPEI Building a Legacy campaign. With a goal of $50 million, Building a Legacy represents the most ambitious financial campaign ever embarked upon by UPEI. Since it was launched in April 2003, over $29 million has been committed to the University by private and corporate donors. More information is available at http://www.upei.ca/legacy/.
