February 26, 2004
UNB News Release: C929
Sandra Howland, Manager, Ceremonies, Events and Community Outreach (506) 458-7968

$2.5 Million Gift Comes as UNB Gears Up For New Development Campaign

Graduate students will be the beneficiaries of a new $2.5-million donation by William S. Lewis to the University of New Brunswick. The gift, the largest donation by a living UNB graduate, will create a prestigious fellowship for doctoral students. It comes as the university is gearing-up for its new development campaign, Forging Our Futures.

“Dr. Lewis’s generosity is well known to this university,” said John D. McLaughlin, UNB president and vice-chancellor. “This landmark gift will help us attract some of the best graduate students. And since UNB is the centre of graduate studies and research for New Brunswick, this fellowship will have a major impact on the province and the region.”

Graduate studies is a critical part of UNB’s role in the province. The university’s percentage increase in graduate student enrolment this year is the largest in the country. The almost 1,300 graduate students on both UNB campuses contribute to more than half of all the province’s research and development activity. Graduate students are tomorrow’s inventors, writers, thinkers and professors.

“It is my hope that through this commitment and the creation of these fellowships, UNB will be positioned as a leader in Canada,” said Dr. Lewis. “It is also my hope that this is just the beginning. My commitment must be seen as a catalyst and incentive to others.”

Dr. McLaughlin concurs. “This is great news, not only for our graduate studies program, but also for the upcoming campaign. We’re not even out of the starting gate yet on Forging Our Futures, and here we have an ‘early bird gift’ of $2.5 million. This is what we hope will be one of many multi-million dollar gifts once Forging Our Futures begins.”

The prestigious Dr. William S. Lewis Fellowships will be awarded to UNB doctoral students who have the potential to be regional, national, and international leaders in research and the dissemination of knowledge. Selection will be based on academic excellence and on the candidate’s contribution to their field of study. At full implementation the fellowship will normally be $25,000 per year per student.

“The William S. Lewis Fellowships will be the University of New Brunswick’s most prestigious doctoral awards, enabling UNB to attract students of excellence and foster the leaders of tomorrow,” said Gwen Davies, dean of graduate studies and associate vice-president (research).

Dr. Lewis is an engineer, economist, businessman, and philanthropist. Born in the Moncton, N.B., area, he graduated from high school in the Miramichi, and then joined the Canadian Air Force. After seven years as an Air Force navigator, he came to UNB in Fredericton to study electrical engineering. Following graduation from UNB in 1962 with a bachelor of science in engineering, Dr. Lewis studied finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and economics at Carleton University, earning a master of arts and PhD, respectively. He taught at various universities before leaving academia to pursue a career in real estate.

Dr. Lewis is a patron of the arts, a fundraiser for cultural institutions, and a generous benefactor to a number of worthy causes, including the university of New Brunswick. He received an honorary doctorate from UNB in 2001.

Forging Our Futures will make strategic investments in students, faculty, facilities and programs. The campaign will strengthen UNB’s position as a national university that is fundamentally important to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the province, the region and the country. The campaign is expected to be launched later this year, although no official date has been set. Currently, the campaign is in the preparatory stage, which includes the internal UNB faculty and staff campaign.

More information on Forging Our Futures is available online at http://www.unbfutures.ca, by calling toll-free at 1-877-UNB-GIVE; or by e-mail at giving@unbfutures.ca.

Contact:

John Suart Communications Manager, Development and Donor Relations University of New Brunswick in Fredericton Direct: (506) 458-7548 Mobile: (506) 461-9944 E-mail: jsuart@unb.ca

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