Stoicheff USask presidency ends on $10-million high note

The gift will support the USask School for the Arts in the College of Arts and Science, with funds going towards enhancing the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music and strings program, theatre expansion, student supports, and curriculum modernization.

In a letter explaining the generous gift, Xu and Chen expressed their gratitude for Stoicheff’s commitment to excellence.

“In profound appreciation for your leadership and dedicated service to our alma mater, and with deep gratitude for the education that transformed our lives, Linda and I are delighted to commit $10 million to the University,” wrote Xu and Chen.

“This gift is our way of expressing the lifelong gratitude we feel,” the letter continued. Bob goes on to say, “I still reflect on my convocation speech, in which I noted that the University of Saskatchewan's generosity in the 1980s felt like an unfathomable gift. That experience—the spirit of giving and belief in potential—established fundamental values that shaped who I am today. It is that core spirit that I hope this donation will help sustain.”

After a decade of serving the university as president and vice-chancellor, Stoicheff will step away from this role on Dec. 31, 2025.  

“This is a transformational gift for the School for the Arts, and I am inspired by Bob and Linda’s commitment to creating educational opportunities for everyone through their extraordinary philanthropy,” said Stoicheff, who previously served as dean of the College of Arts and Science. “Such generosity from our alumni demonstrates the lasting impact of education and affirms our aspiration to be what the world needs. I am truly humbled and honoured.”

Xu and Chen are dedicated philanthropists and proud proponents of USask. The couple helped establish the David L. Kaplan Music Scholarship with a $1-million donation in 2010 to provide financial support for music students at USask. In 2017, they donated another $2 million to create the David L. Kaplan Chair in Music, to develop a strings program in the department and provide music students with opportunities to travel and perform worldwide.

Professor Emeritus David Kaplan, who passed away in 2015, was a gifted musician, composer, and conductor for 10 years of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. His career at USask spanned more than 40 years, including 22 years as department head of music.

"He embraced us with profound love and care when we first arrived to Canada from China in the 1980s as graduate students," said Xu of Kaplan at the time of the 2017 donation. "His strength of character, warmth and unconditional devotion to his students serve as the model by which we—and countless others—live our lives. The way he treated us left a deep impression on me, and I thought of him as a role model as I started my own career as a consultant for Chinese students who wanted to study overseas."

Since graduating from USask with a master’s degree in music in 1992, Xu co-founded New Oriental Education & Technology Group in 1993, the largest provider of private education in China, training more than 15 million students. He has also established ZhenFund, China’s largest and foremost seed fund that invests in emerging start-up businesses to help promote and support innovation among youth in China and beyond. Xu’s innovative investment strategies earned him a spot on Forbes Magazine’s Midas List of the world’s top 100 venture capitalists.

In 2017, USask conferred an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Xu, and he gave an inspiring and touching address. 

“Sometimes we get more than we deserve. I know this, because it is how I have always felt, about what I received from the University of Saskatchewan,” he said in the address. “The university has honoured me, but really, I am here today to honour the university."