The Impact of Giving

For Sasha Krstic, IMBA ’03, it all comes down to the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  An adage that has guided Sasha throughout her life, and more notably, her journey at Schulich.

As a student, Sasha took full advantage of every opportunity to make the most of her experience.  From classes to co-curricular activities, plus everything else in between, it was full steam ahead for Sasha.  In her words, she describes her Schulich experience as “intense, but also intensely satisfying.”

The specialized International MBA (IMBA) program open to Canadian and International students offered a unique opportunity for Sasha to engage with classmates, staff and faculty from diverse backgrounds expanding her horizons while cultivating a professional network and lifelong connections.

The program also offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to complete a work term in Tokyo, where Sasha attended the Keio Business School, and hone her proficiency in Japanese that was the launching pad in a career in international business.

When it was time to consider her philanthropic passions, Schulich was on top of the list with a special focus on helping students requiring financial support.  Sasha was able to pursue an IMBA degree with the help of several bursaries and scholarships that helped lessen her financial constraints.  Sasha’s career has taken her across the globe from Sweden to Singapore among others. Although it was difficult to volunteer her time with Schulich, it was feasible to donate especially as a monthly donor regardless of distance.

Monthly giving allows Sasha the ease to “set it and forget it” as part of her regular budget providing ongoing support that adds up over time.  It also allows the School to keep administrative costs down while providing sustainable long-term funding.

Sasha Krstic (IMBA ’03), Keynote Speaker at the IMBA Class of 2020 Virtual Spring Convocation, with daughter Dara Ivkovic.

Recently moving back to Canada to take the helm as President, Mastercard Canada, Sasha is also reconnecting with her alma mater. In a short time since returning to Canada, Sasha has volunteered as a member of the Dean’s CEO Panel for Launch Week and recently, as the keynote speaker for the IMBA 2020 virtual convocation.

Sasha credits Schulich for having contributed immensely to her career trajectory.  It’s that “golden rule” adage that continues to inspire Sasha to keep giving back.  “It’s meaningful to pay back those who helped me by giving support to those coming after me.  Close the circle, so it can keep rolling. That’s how we can help get more great future business leaders into the world,” concludes Sasha.

To learn how you can support Schulich students, please visit https://schulich.yorku.ca/donors/annual-fund/

Cheryl McEwen’s impressive list of accomplishments and accolades pale in comparison to the impact of a lifetime during which she has inspired others through her contributions to the advancement of education, healthcare, the arts and Canadian culture. 

On June 11th, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) presented Cheryl, and her partner and notable Schulich alumnus, Rob McEwen (MBA ’78, Hon LLD ’05), with this year’s CIJA’s Words & Deeds Leadership Award. This national award recognizes leaders who have made outstanding contributions to Canadian society through humanitarian causes, pluralism, and civil discourse.

For decades Rob and Cheryl have championed Schulich’s pivotal role in preparing and graduating tomorrow’s business leaders.  Most recently, their philanthropic investment of $8 million toward Schulich’s new Graduate Study & Research Building, which publicly opened in January, is a testament to their commitment and continuing confidence in the School.  York University has named its newest, most sustainable building the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building in their honour.

“What I have learned as a philanthropist is that whatever you give, comes back to you in ways you cannot imagine.  It’s about the people you meet, their passion and their ability to make this world a better place that gives you an enormous feeling of purpose and gratitude,” declared Cheryl as she addressed over 600  graduands at Schulich’s Spring Convocation on June 21^st.  

And on that day a life centred on doing good, inspiring change, and creating opportunities for others comes full circle.  Cheryl McEwen received the Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the Schulich School of Business, York University for her distinguished contributions to making Canada, and the world, better.   

The Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure is supported by sector- related programming and a new Chair in honour of Timothy R. Price’s exceptional leadership and contributions to Canada’s thriving real estate industry.

The Brookfield Centre is a hub of real estate and infrastructure industry outreach, alumni engagement, research, teaching excellence and experiential learning at Schulich. The establishment of the Brookfield Centre provides funding for new professorships and executives-in-residence, while creating new scholarships and student awards.

Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth said: “The Brookfield Centre in Real Estate and Infrastructure provides Schulich students with rewarding career opportunities in the growing real estate and infrastructure sector and will generate cutting-edge research that will help shape the strategies and policies adopted by business, government and non-profit sector leaders around the world.”

“We at the Brookfield Partners Foundation are excited by this opportunity to develop future industry leaders and advanced expertise in real estate and infrastructure,” said Mr. Price. “Frances and I are personally delighted to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to Schulich’s legacy as a leading global management school as well as contributing to one of the world’s leading real estate and infrastructure programs.”

Jeff Halpern, BBA ’78 had wanted to be a Chartered Accountant since he was a young boy. He graduated from the BBA program in 1978, an experience he remembers vividly, and to which he attributes the skills and confidence he needed to achieve his dream career. Currently a CPA and Business Succession Advisor for TD Wealth, Jeff Halpern’s goal is to provide the next generation of students the opportunity to afford a world-class business education.  “Just like I benefited from attending Schulich, I want to help less financially fortunate students have the same opportunity I did,” he says.

Becoming a part of Leading Change, Schulich’s fundraising and alumni engagement initiative was an easy decision. He was confident his gift would have meaningful and lasting impact for the future of the school and the next generations of students.

Watch Jeff Halpern’s Donor Story and learn more about how Jeff discovered a creative way to give back and why he is participating in the Leading Change campaign.

“I am very proud to be a graduate of the Schulich School of Business. It is my pleasure to help the School acquire this anonymous gift. We are now one third of the way toward the goal and I am sure, that with help from the rest of our alumni network, it will not be too long before we are able to collect the entire $3M.”

“Live not only for yourself, but also for others,” says Chandra Wijaya. “Growing up in Indonesia, this was an important motto that guided our lives.”

Chandra learned the importance of giving back to the community at an early age. While he was completing his MBA at Schulich School of Business, there was a financial crisis in Asia and he was unsure whether he would be able to afford to complete the program. A bursary for international students in financial need changed everything.

“I received the award at a time when I needed the support very much,” Chandra recalls. “I remember writing the application letter explaining that I was in a dire financial situation and needed help to complete my studies.”

As a young adult, Chandra dreamed of becoming a financial engineer. To achieve this, he enrolled in two universities and earned undergraduate degrees in Economics and Computer Science concurrently. He decided to attend Schulich to complete an MBA and the Post-Graduate Diploma in Financial Engineering program after learning about the School’s strong reputation in the field of finance.

Following his graduation in 2000, he was hired immediately by the National Bank of Canada and today, as Senior Director with CIBC Risk Management, he oversees Global Regulatory Affairs and Risk Control in CIBC Wholesale Banking.

“The bursary I received from Schulich had a big impact on my career,” said Chandra. “And, 11 years later, I couldn’t forget it. I called the University and asked about ways I could give back to the School.”

As a result, Chandra made a gift to the School to support the creation of an endowed award – the Chandra Wijaya Award in Financial Engineering. Eligible recipients will be second year, full-time MBA students studying Financial Engineering. The recipient must demonstrate academic excellence and demonstrate financial need.

“I hope this bursary will convey a message to future business leaders that there are people in the business world that care and want to help others in need,” said Wijaya. “I want them to know that charity is still relevant in the modern business world and experience how it can help people in a tangible way.”

Delvinia founder and CEO Adam Froman, MBA’92, has a message for Schulich MBA\IMBA students with entrepreneurial instincts: An interesting journey awaits. “Twenty-two years ago, I was just like you. I had a degree in engineering and then I got my MBA just because that was ‘the right thing to do’.”

By necessity – he graduated at a time when good jobs were hard to come by – Froman took the entrepreneurial route, rather than pursuing “the holy grail” of a career in investment banking or management consulting, a decision that has taken him on a rollercoaster ride over the years. Speaking recently at a Schulich Alumni event, Froman chatted with several students planning to launch startups. “They really impressed me,” he said. “I’d say to them, ‘you have no idea what will happen to you.'”

As his digital strategy and innovation company celebrates its 16th anniversary with more than 60 employees serving clients around the world, Froman says it’s time to consider the need to help develop the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, as well as to give back to his alma mater. That’s why he’s established the Delvinia Scholarship for Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation at Schulich, to be awarded to a second-year MBA or IMBA student specializing in Strategic Management, Marketing or Entrepreneurial Studies. Recipients will be chosen based on academic excellence and a written submission about extracurricular, community and employment activities that demonstrates “their connection to an entrepreneurial story like Delvinia’s and their commitment to entrepreneurial spirit, digital innovation and drive.”

However, Froman says the award criteria consciously leave room for unique individuals with unexpected backgrounds and talents. “As I’ve learned myself as an entrepreneur, there is not only one path forward,” he explains.

Professor Robert Kozinets, Marketing Chair, says the $2,500 annual Delvinia scholarship is a welcome boost to the school’s growing support for emerging entrepreneurs. “Adam is a terrific role model and resource for all Canadian business students, and especially for our digitally-driven and entrepreneurial Schulich cohort. Not only does his generous gift give back to Schulich and help students to open doors, but it also opens their minds and imaginations about what is possible in today’s world of disruptive technologies and innovative Canadian risk-takers.”

Any student who receives the annual $2,500 Delvinia award will also have an open invitation to contact the company’s CEO for informal mentoring, says Froman. “I never had the luxury of a career mentor,” he says. “While my family and close friends have been an incredible support structure for me, they have never really understood what I do, so it has been hard for them to give me advice on my business. Being an entrepreneur is a journey. It’s not all rosy. Sometimes it’s like looking off the face of a cliff. It requires support and intestinal fortitude and having a true understanding of what it takes. I’d like to help to support and guide students and young entrepreneurs on this bumpy ride.”

It wasn’t until I was running my own business that I appreciated what I had learned: How it’s given me the financial discipline and the confidence I need as an entrepreneur – not to fear the numbers, but to embrace them.

While he didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, Froman says he knows now that his MBA studies at Schulich have been critical to his success. “It wasn’t until I was running my own business that I appreciated what I had learned: How it’s given me the financial discipline and the confidence I need as an entrepreneur – not to fear the numbers, but to embrace them. It’s given me the confidence to solve any problem I confront. . . [Accounting Professor Emeritus] Al Rosen’s Financial Accounting classes not only helped in understanding cash flow which helped me get through the financial crisis, his entire approach to making business decisions still applies today and I use it to mentor my employees,” he explains.

Froman, who describes himself as a believer in the transformative power of digital technologies, says he’s not only interested in helping develop entrepreneurial students who aspire to launch their own businesses.

“I just want to help students who appreciate the journey of entrepreneurship – whether they want to work for an entrepreneurial firm or to become an entrepreneur themselves. There are a lot of entrepreneurial students coming out of Schulich who are very well-educated and very bright,” he says. “If they can connect to the Delvinia story, maybe that’s someone we can eventually hire.”