From left, Deb Comuzzi, Lakehead’s Vice-President, External Relations, presented Carolyn Leroux, General Manager, Bombardier Transportation Thunder Bay, with a thank you plaque. Also in the photo are Dr. Moira McPherson, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, and Christian Leisander, a business graduate student and a past recipient of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

July 19, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University’s Faculty of Business Administration is the recipient of a $50,000 gift from the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation to establish The J. Armand Bombardier Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Business.

The purpose of the scholarship is to support eligible students in the University’s business graduate programs, including its Master of Science in Management and Master of Business Administration programs.

“Ever since its inception, the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation has placed education at the core of its actions, firmly believing that high-quality and accessible education is the driving force of society,” said Ode Belzile, Director, Philanthropic Activities, J. Armand Bombardier Foundation.  “We are very proud to collaborate with Lakehead University to create two new scholarships that will help attract and retain the best students in Thunder Bay.”

“Lakehead continues to attract high quality business graduate students from around the world,” said Lakehead’s President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Brian Stevenson. “The J. Armand Bombardier Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Business will provide even more incentive to prospective graduate students who are considering Lakehead’s world-class business programs.”

Dr. Stevenson explained that attracting more business students to Lakehead University translates into more business graduates contributing to our local and regional economies.

“This gift demonstrates the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation’s commitment to aspiring professionals and future business leaders in the region,” he added.

The gift from the J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, which will be matched 2:1 through the provincial government’s Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, will generate $150,000 in student support to create two annual scholarships of $15,000 for the next five years.

“Scholarships give students the opportunity to obtain an education that helps to transform their future, and allows them to focus fully on their education and experiences that will help to enrich their time at Lakehead,” said Dr. Bahram Dadgostar, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration.  “This new scholarship will also have a high impact on our ability to recruit top students from diverse backgrounds into our programs.”

“At Bombardier we believe in the importance of expanding access to education which develops a talented workforce in our communities,” said Carolyne Leroux, General Manager, Bombardier Transportation Thunder Bay.  “I am proud of the long history of collaboration between Lakehead University and Bombardier Transportation Thunder Bay. This new scholarship will strengthen the connection between our two organizations while fostering the business leaders of tomorrow.”

The J. Armand Bombardier Foundation and Bombardier Transportation are long-time supporters of Lakehead University and have contributed significantly to the experiential learning opportunities available to students.

From site visits to its Thunder Bay plant to active development support of graduate projects, Bombardier has provided Lakehead’s graduate students with practical experiences that allow them to seek solutions to real-world industry challenges as they prepare for their professional careers.

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Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Brandon Walker

Media Relations Officer

Tel.: 807-343-8177

mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca

Ode Belzile
Director, Philanthropic Activities

J. Armand Bombardier Foundation

Tel.: 514-876-4555

O.Belzile@fjab.qc.ca

Lakehead University has about 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

The J. Armand Bombardier Foundation, a private family foundation, was established in 1965 to carry on the humanitarian work of Joseph-Armand Bombardier and contribute toward the realization of Bombardier’s vision of social responsibility. The Foundation is active in four key areas: Education, Community Support, Healthcare, as well as Arts and Culture. Culturally, the Foundation also plays a very important role through the J. Armand Bombardier Museum and the Yvonne L. Bombardier Cultural Centre, located in Valcourt, Québec.

Dr. Brian Stevenson, Lakehead's President and Vice-Chancellor, thanks RBC for the generous gift to develop the RBC Work-Integrated Learning program in the Faculty of Business Administration.

May 31, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University announced today a commitment from RBC that will expand experiential learning opportunities and provide students with sought-after workforce skills.

A grant of $250,000 from RBC Future Launch will support the development of the RBC Work-Integrated Learning program in the Faculty of Business Administration. 

The program will offer students opportunities for learning and on-the-job training where they gain the skills and practical knowledge that ensure a successful transition to a career. 

“Lakehead University has long benefitted from the vision and support of RBC,” said Dr. Brian Stevenson, President & Vice-Chancellor of Lakehead University. “Today’s generous gift is an example of RBC’s ongoing investment in our students’ need for more experiential learning opportunities so they may be ready for the challenges that will face them as future leaders.”

Through programming offered by the RBC Work-Integrated Learning program, students will participate in integrated learning opportunities including mentorship and an experiential learning placement. These experiences will give them valuable soft and technical skills, as well as confidence and knowledge that will better prepare them to enter the workforce.

“Experiential learning is an important part of Lakehead’s innovative educational environment,” said Dr. Bahram Dadgostar, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration. “With RBC’s generous support, the University can enhance the opportunities provided to our students, allowing them to apply knowledge gained in the classroom, explore new ideas and ways of thinking, and have diverse experiences.”

“Our collective prosperity will depend on today’s young people and their ability to take on a future that brings with it unprecedented technological and economic change,” said Murray Walberg, RBC Regional Vice President - Career Sales. “That’s why through RBC Future Launch, we’re working together with community leaders, industry experts, educators and employers to encourage new ways of thinking and approaches to drive long-term, sustainable solutions and ventures in the world of work for future generations. We’re excited to partner with Lakehead, who is leading the way with experiential learning to help ensure workforce security and stability, today and long into the future.”

RBC Future Launch is a 10-year, $500-million commitment to help young people gain access and opportunity to the skills, job experience, and career networks needed for the future world of work.  The initiative is the result of two years of conversation with young Canadians from coast to coast. RBC identified three critical gaps to help prepare young people for successful futures: experience, skills and networks.

The RBC Work-Integrated Learning program will admit 20 students annually – both business and non-business students enrolled in Lakehead’s Entrepreneur Certificate program will be eligible to apply. The program will be delivered across both the Thunder Bay and Orillia campuses.

If you are an individual or small-to-medium sized enterprise located in Thunder Bay, Orillia, or surrounding communities, and you are interested in becoming a mentor and hosting an experiential learning placement, please contact David Richards at 807-343-8525 or david.richards@lakeheadu.ca. 

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Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Brandon Walker

Media Relations Officer

Tel.: 807-343-8177

mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca

Murray Walberg

RBC Regional Vice President - Career Sales

Tel.: 807-684-8312

murray.walberg@rbc.com

Lakehead University has about 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff in 10 faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies. In 2016, for the second consecutive year, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead first among Canada’s undergraduate  universities. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is Canada’s largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com/.

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

From left to right, fourth-year students Daniel Sabbe, Tingting Zhuang, Taylor Goods, and Sarah Dyce took first place in a recent accounting competition in Winnipeg. 

February 1, 2017 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead University accounting students Tingting Zhuang, Sarah Dyce, Taylor Goods and Daniel Sabbe earned first place in the Business and Accounting Student Case Competition and Conference (formerly GAAPS) sponsored jointly by Asper School of Business Accounting Association and Chartered Professional Accountants of Manitoba.

The competition took place from January 26-28, at the Fairmont Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Winnipeg.

Ten teams from across Canada, each comprised of four undergraduate students, participated in the three-day conference, which included an accounting-based case competition, guest speakers and networking events.

Dyce said this competition was the highlight of her four years at Lakehead University.

“I truly appreciate the opportunity to compete against and with such an amazing and intelligent group of people. Not only did we win, but we made long distance connections and friendships that I am sure will follow us into our futures after we graduate in May.”

The first prize win comes with a trophy and $1,500 in prize money to share. The Lakehead University team won this competition in 2014 as well.

“Going through this competition really helped us see who we are as professionals and our skills of analyzing case situations,” Sabbe said.

“Although this event was all generated around the competition, the biggest thing we were able to take home with us was a new group of great friends from across Canada. It was really great to be able to go and socialize with many people from all different backgrounds,” he added.

“We are very proud of our students’ achievement,” said Dr. Bahram Dadgostar, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration. “Their performance is a testament to the quality of the business program at Lakehead University.”

The Faculty of Business Administration is accredited by both the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA).

Fewer than five percent of business schools in the world have AACSB accreditation and only 15 business schools in Canada have this dual accreditation.