Successful campaign a game-changer for USask

From sponsoring a broad spectrum of new scholarships for students and research chairs for world-class scientists, to funding fabulous facilities and enhancing existing spaces, the record $570,739,155 raised in the Be What The World Needs campaign has been invested in a plethora of projects, priorities and places across USask’s campuses.

“The campaign has been an overwhelming success and nothing short of a game-changer for the University of Saskatchewan,” said USask President Peter Stoicheff. “We can already point to how new scholarships, research chairs, and student and Indigenous engagement initiatives have expanded opportunities for our students, faculty, and visiting researchers and how the campaign has positively impacted our teaching and research mission. And we can see a number of visual examples of the transformation of our university with new construction and renovation to existing spaces that have been made possible through the generous contributions of our alumni, donors, and partners.”

The Be What the World Needs Campaign for USask spanned 10 years from 2015 to 2025, with the funds raised already put to work supporting thousands of people and projects. Much of the money raised was spent during the campaign period (2015-2025) or earmarked for projects that contribute to the university’s mission or reflect the philanthropic goals of the donor.

The most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the university and the history of the province changed the face of campus with a $12.25-million gift from celebrated USask alumnus Merlis Belsher in 2015 to begin construction of the magnificent Merlis Belsher Place community facility. A decade later, 1,000 supporters gathered in that multi-event centre for the June 18 campaign wind-up celebration as the university officially announced it had surpassed its half-a-billion dollar fundraising target by more than $70 million, thanks to the generosity of more than 27,000 donors from 44 countries around the world.

“The success and impact of the Be What The World Needs campaign has been a monumental achievement in the history of the University of Saskatchewan and the history of the province,” said Stoicheff. “As the university continues to climb in key world university rankings, and assert itself as one of Canada’s top 15 research universities, the success of the campaign has confirmed that we are indeed on the right track as an institution. It is the culmination of a decade of work from dedicated staff and a prime example of exactly what we can accomplish when we work together with alumni, donors, supporters and partners.”

For USask Vice-President, University Relations, Cheryl Hamelin, who took over leadership of the comprehensive campaign on June 1, 2022, the final fundraising total far exceeded even her expectations.

“It absolutely did,” said Hamelin. “I was thrilled to come back to my alma mater to help lead the Be What the World Needs campaign. I knew that the campaign was progressing slower than expected and we were about halfway to our goal after seven years of the quiet phase. So the thought of trying to raise the other half of the goal in three years was really daunting. But once I delved into it, I realized that there had been a lot of really good work done, a lot of what we call ‘cultivation.’ And once we capitalized on all that effort and got out and started asking, people started stepping up and giving, because they were ready.”

While momentum began to build, Hamelin said it wasn’t really until the final stages of the campaign that she felt confident that they were indeed going to reach their goal, and in fact, roll right past it.

“My confidence was growing every month that we were going to get there, but it wasn’t until we had our one-year-to-close campaign event that I was really thinking that we were going to make it. And it wasn’t until the last five months that I realized that we were not only going to make it, but we were going to wildly exceed the number. The momentum had built to the point where it was unstoppable and everyone wanted to get in on this exciting initiative, under the deadline.”

Complementing major multi-million-dollar gifts from corporate donors and USask’s most generous alumni supporters were smaller individual contributions from tens of thousands of graduates of the university, with one out of every nine alumni donating to the campaign.

“To have one in nine alumni give is quite remarkable,” said Hamelin. “What I think it says about our alumni is that they feel strong ties to the university and also to the province where they earned their degree. And I think the fact that it was a comprehensive campaign, in that people could give to research, to students, to Indigenous engagement, to Huskies, to capital projects and spaces and places, there was something for everyone. So not only did we have their fondness, but we had something that would appeal to their passion as a donor.”

The campaign prioritized four major areas: support for critical research; Indigenous achievement; student success; and the creation of visionary spaces and places for innovative research, teaching and learning. In all, more than 2,600 initiatives are being funded from donations big and small, including corporate partners like Nutrien ($15 million) and Cameco ($10 million) and from generous USask alumni like Ron and Jane Graham, the university’s largest individual donors with a history of more than $50 million in lifetime contributions to their alma mater.

In addition to contributing to a new state-of-the-art Design Hub in the College of Engineering, research facilities that received funding via the campaign include the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Centre, the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence, the Ron and Jane Graham Sport Science and Health Centre, and the Allard-Roozen Imaging Suite at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine—home to Canada’s only PET-CT unit dedicated to clinical use for animals and humans.

Donor gifts also funded a variety of innovative teaching facilities, including the Jane and Ron Graham Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, the BJ Hughes Centre for Clinical Learning, as well as the Rawlinson Finance and Trading Room, Melvin Berg Classroom, and Art Korpach Family Classroom in the Edwards School of Business. Campaign contributions also covered everything from the K.W. Nasser Tennis Courts to the Queer Housing Lounge, along with the planned Huskie clubhouse expansion project at Griffiths Stadium in Nutrien Park.

While she played a pivotal part in the campaign, Hamelin is quick to credit all contributors, from donor supporters to staff and senior leaders across USask’s campuses.

“I would like to convey my appreciation, not only for our wonderful donors, but for the support of everyone at the university. Sincere thanks to the University Relations team, the president and president’s executive team, the deans, the institute directors, the broader senior leadership team, the students, and the alumni. Thanks also to the Board of Governors, the Senate, and University Council, and of course the Campaign Cabinet,” Hamelin said. “We never could have done what we did without everyone being on the same page. And people had my back at every turn, so I am incredibly grateful for everyone who helped make this incredible campaign happen.”

In addition to all of the projects supported by raising more than half a billion dollars, Hamelin said the success of the comprehensive campaign has also shone a spotlight on USask’s reputation and profile as an education and research leader, nationally and internationally.

“The campaign helped further elevate the profile of the university,” said Hamelin. “What’s happened in the last 10 years in terms of the strategic direction of the university, the research engine and how it has accelerated at the highest level ever, and with fundraising at the highest level ever, we have taken our place as an outstanding university, not only academically, but in research and in outreach and in philanthropy. I see only positive things for the future.”

While the campaign has concluded, Hamelin said the university will have more announcements this fall, and will spend the coming months celebrating major donations, with grand openings also scheduled for projects now in the works. Among the next steps are finalizing an array of new student scholarships, opening the Nutrien Centre for Sustainable and Digital Agriculture, and Nutrien’s state-of-the-art lecture theatre in the College of Engineering, as well as officially beginning Cameco’s Energy and Resource Management program, Nuclear Fuel Cycle program, and instituting the corporation’s enhanced commitment to northern and Indigenous student success.

“We are entering a year of gratitude where we are stewarding donors and making sure that we are really thanking the people that made this campaign possible, but like any good Canadian U15 university, we are already planning for the next campaign,” said Hamelin. “Some of the big fundraising anchors going forward are getting the Engineering IDEAS building expansion done, and supporting all of the health sciences, the proposed Edwards School of Business expansion, and putting resources behind the School for the Arts. And of course, we will always be fundraising for student scholarships, Indigenous programming, and critical research in every area, including the whole energy transition field—nuclear and so on. And I would really like to see more donors involved in the innovation ecosystem, putting in seed dollars for startups and innovations through OPUS.”

Hamelin would also like the university to set an ambitious target of raising $60 million annually moving forward, to ensure continuous support for the university. With the future firmly in focus, Hamelin is looking forward to building on the momentum of the overwhelming success of USask’s comprehensive campaign.

“It was such an incredible achievement for USask, and certainly the most fulfilling thing that I have done in my career,” Hamelin said. “And to do it for my hometown and my alma mater was extremely gratifying.”

• Total funds raised: $570,739,155
• 101,000+ gifts made to the campaign
• 27,000+ generous donors supported this campaign
• 2,600+ campus initiatives funded
• 10,500+ supporters inspired to make their first-ever gift to USask
• One in nine alumni made a contribution to the campaign
• Supporters from 44 countries around the globe contributed
• 23 research chairs established
• 950+ scholarships created to support Indigenous students
• 14,000+ donations to support research that will aid in solving the world’s greatest challenges, including water and food security, infectious diseases, and rural health
• 2,700+ gifts made to support students in crisis
• 3,921 donations to support mental health and emergency funding for students in need
• 7,800+ gifts to support Huskie student-athletes
• $90 million+ invested in new and enhanced learning environments, state-of-the-art athletics facilities, and collaborative spaces