Schulich School of Business hosts 50th Anniversary Gala to celebrate Five Decades of Education Excellence
Alumni from around the globe will gather for a special Anniversary Weekend at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
TORONTO – Thursday, May 26, 2016 – The Schulich School of Business at York University announced today that more than 700 alumni and friends from around the world will reunite for two major events during the May 27-28 weekend to help the Schulich community celebrate the School’s first half century and welcome the next 50 years.
Schulich’s 50th Anniversary Gala, followed by CONNECT 2016, the School’s annual alumni gathering, caps a yearlong series of special events and projects to celebrate the School’s transformational role in shaping global business education throughout the five decades since its founding in 1965.
The 50th Anniversary season is co-chaired by some of the School’s most prominent alumni: John Hunkin (MBA ’69, Hon LLD ’04), Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council at Schulich; Kathleen Taylor (MBA/JD ’84, Hon LLD ’14), Chair of Royal Bank of Canada and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council; and Richard Waugh, OC (MBA ’74, Hon LLD ’07), former President and CEO of Scotiabank, member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and Chair of the York University Board of Governors; together with Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth, CM.
“The Schulich community is honoured and excited to welcome back so many of our accomplished alumni to help us celebrate a remarkable past and look ahead as we embark on an equally promising future,” said Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth. “At Schulich, it truly is the exceptional people – our faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends of the School – who embody Schulich’s proud legacy and bright future.”
“Schulich’s track record of preparing the leaders of today and tomorrow has earned it the reputation as one of the world’s leading business schools,” said Bharat Masrani (BBA ’78, MBA ’79), Group President and Chief Executive Officer, TD Bank Group, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. “I wish the School continued success for the next 50 years and beyond.”
“I am proud to be participating in Schulich’s Anniversary celebration,” said Kathleen Taylor (MBA/JD ’84, Hon LLD ’14), Chair of Royal Bank of Canada and co-chair of Schulich’s 50th Anniversary Season. “I have many fond memories of my time at Schulich and I look forward to reconnecting with many of my fellow alumni who will be attending this 50th Anniversary reunion weekend.”
“Schulich’s 50th Anniversary is about celebrating the multitude of achievements and innovations of the School,” said Rob McEwen, a Schulich alumnus, Chairman and Chief Owner of McEwen Mining and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council. “I have always admired greatly the School’s absolute focus to be on the leading edge of management education, not being afraid to take risks, even from my own time there as a student.”
THE GALA – Friday, May 27th
The evening Gala will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto on Friday, May 27, 2016. Attendees will include alumni from the Classes of ’67 and ’68, who began their studies during the School’s founding year. The Master of Ceremonies for the event is Mark Critch, the comic anchor and roving reporter from the CBC TV show This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Singer/songwriter Amanda Martinez, a Schulich International MBA graduate from the Class of ’99 who is hailed as having as “one of the greatest voices in the world”, will also perform at the gala.
CONNECT: THE SCHULICH ALUMNI FORUM – Saturday, May 28th
Bharat Masrani (BBA ’78, MBA ’79), Group President and Chief Executive Officer, TD Bank Group, said he is honoured to have been chosen to kick off the 50th Anniversary CONNECT 2016 forum with an exclusive fireside chat. The fireside chat will be moderated by Ron Mock (MBA ’79), President and CEO of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Along with Mr. Masrani’s fireside chat, a cocktail reception and other networking opportunities, CONNECT 2016 will also feature panels on Disruption by Design; Data-driven Decision-making; Rethinking Cities in the Age of Urbanization; the FinTech Challenge; and the Start-Up Economy.
More than 55 events with more than 4,000 event attendees have already taken place in connection with Schulich’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, including alumni galas in Hong Kong, Beijing, London and New York; student-led conferences featuring alumni from throughout the School’s five decades; and more than 15 special Anniversary-themed global events held in nine countries.
Schulich’s 50th Anniversary Season was made possible through generous season sponsors and patrons, including Premier-level sponsors TD Bank Group and Rob McEwen, CM (MBA ’78, HON LLD ’05); Executive-level sponsors Bell, Cineplex Entertainment and The Schulich Foundation; and Media Partner The Globe and Mail, as well as alumni and friends and many reunion ambassadors for their exceptional support preparing for the Gala celebrations.
Alumni are invited to share their Schulich story and photographs through the Schulich@50 anniversary website, where the School’s five decades of history is being documented through stories and pictures. Alumni may also see who among their former classmates are confirmed to attend the Gala and CONNECT by visiting: www.schulich.50.com/50th-anniversary-gala-see-whos-coming/
More information about Schulich’s 50th Anniversary celebrations can be found on the 50th Anniversary website www.schulich50.com
About Schulich
Known as Canada’s Global Business School™, the Schulich School of Business in Toronto is ranked among the world’s leading business schools by a number of global surveys. Schulich’s MBA program is ranked #1 in the world by Corporate Knights, the world’s largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, in a global survey that identifies which schools are doing the best job of preparing future business leaders for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. Schulich’s MBA program is also ranked #1 in Canada and among the world’s leading schools by The Economist, Forbes, CNN Expansión and América Economía. Schulich is also ranked among the world’s top 35 business schools for a career in investment banking in a global survey by eFinancialCareers.com. The Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program is ranked #5 in the world by The Economist and #1 in Canada by the Financial Times of London. For complete ranking details, please visit www.schulich.yorku.ca.
Global, innovative and diverse, Schulich offers business programs year-round at its state-of-the-art complex at York University; at its Miles S. Nadal Management Centre located in the heart of the Toronto’s financial district; and at its new campus in Hyderabad, India. Schulich also operates a number of satellite centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; Seoul, South Korea; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Schulich offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate business degrees that lead to rewarding careers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and has 27,000 alumni working in over 90 countries. The School pioneered Canada’s first International MBA (IMBA) and International BBA (iBBA) degrees, as well as North America’s first ever cross-border Executive MBA degree, the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA. In addition to Schulich’s Master of Finance and Master of Accounting degrees, the School launched one of the world’s first Master of Business Analytics and Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure degrees. Schulich’s Executive Education Centre provides executive development programs annually to more than 10,000 executives in Canada and abroad.
For more information, please contact:
Beth Marlin, Media Relations and Public Relations
Schulich School of Business
Email: bmarlin@schulich.yorku.ca
Phone: 905-717-6278