energize: the campaign for eyes high
thank you. together we have achieved an incredible, historic milestone for the university of calgary, and for our community.
creating a caring community
the 2014 brentwood tragedy that saw five young people senselessly lose their lives was an unspeakably heartbreaking event. but it also inspired an outpouring of compassion and generosity. in striving to help young adults build personal resiliency, calgary rancher and businessman john simpson helped create ucalgarystrong — a dynamic, campus-wide initiative aimed at equipping students with skills to become grounded leaders able to cope with the stress of student life.
these are the stories — your stories — of how meaningful giving can change people, and the world, for the better.
youthful ambition
at 15, carolina romeo started university, made the varsity field hockey team, and was awarded one of the most prestigious renewable scholarships on campus.
loneliness matters at every age
researchers at the mathison centre are working to not only debunk damaging mental health myths around depression in seniors, but also rapidly uncover solutions.
upstanding citizens
upstanders speaks to heart of the donor whose gift established ucalgarystrong nearly five years ago.
energize: the campaign for eyes high is the third-largest successfully completed fundraising campaign in canadian history. we have more than a billion reasons to celebrate, but the most important reason is you.
the passion, vision and devoted involvement of our philanthropic family here and around the world has elevated students, accelerated research, driven innovation, strengthened partnerships, and transformed our campus and our city.



voices of energize
there's a story behind every gift to the energize campaign. giving impacts people on both sides of every gift, and empowers transformative change in the world. meet a few of our inspiring friends and champions who have driven, illuminated and given meaning to the energize journey.
thank you to the following community leaders, philanthropists, supporters, alumni and faculty for sharing your words for the voices of energize video.
rahul arora, bhsc’19; rhodes scholar
namratha badawadagi; student
jaydeep balakrishnan; retired faculty member
varun bhatt, bcomm’20, bsc’20
mark blackwell, bcomm’11; partner, builders vc, philanthropist
emily boucher, bhsc’19; rhodes scholar
emily chen; student
mavis clark, bed’72, med’82; philanthropist
geoff cumming, ba’74, lld’16; chairman, optisolar, inc., philanthropist
dani currie; student
manpreet deol, bsc’20; rhodes scholar
max eisele, bsc’20
dr. chen fong, lld’19; professor emeritus, philanthropist
diane hunter, ba’67, ma’69, lld’19; hunter family foundation, philanthropist
margaret kangas; bsc (eng)'19
dr. michael kehler; phd; faculty
ash kolstad, bsc’19; graduate student
saifa koonar, bcomm’92, mba’02; ceo, alberta children’s hospital foundation, partner
hal kvisle, mba’82, lld’19; chairman, arc resources, philanthropist
dr. richard leigh; faculty
colton lewis, bcomm’15; philanthropist
dr. ian lewis, phd; faculty
dr. david lertzman, phd; faculty
dr. steve liang, phd; faculty
dr. joshua madsen, phd; faculty
ron mathison; chairman, matco investments, philanthropist
dr. nabeela nathoo, bsc’90, md’17, phd’17; student, donor
safia nathoo, bsc’07, msc’09, mba’14; staff, donor
emmanuel olapade; student
dr. ed pajor, phd; faculty
maria pavlova, ba’15, msc’19; student
dr. kristina rinker, phd; faculty
boston rowe, bcomm’18
dr. pere santamaria, md, phd; faculty
dr. baljit singh, phd; faculty, donor
don taylor, lld’07, ruth taylor; philanthropist
mike tims, bcomm’76, lld’09; vice chairman, matco investments; philanthropist
aritha van herk; faculty, donor
deb yedlin; chancellor
what can you do with $1.41 billion?

the energize campaign is defined by a fearless and visionary collective striving for excellence. this historic initiative is committed to unleashing student potential; to advancing research, new knowledge and innovation; and to building a resilient city and world. thanks to our exceptionally ambitious and devoted community, we are changing lives and shaping the future for generations to come.
powered by philanthropy: the latest in ucalgary research, innovation and entrepreneurship
professor envisions carless living in calgary
policy work looks at reducing cost of housing, transportation and food, making city more sustainable...
campaign advisors
the university of calgary acknowledges the valuable support of its dedicated campaign volunteers, including:
- mark blackwell, bcomm’11
- geoffrey cumming, ba’74, hon. lld’16
- joanne cuthbertson, bed’73, hon. lld’11
- james (jim) dinning, c.m., hon. lld’02
- w. david duckett, bcomm’78
- charlie fischer, bsc’71, mba’82, hon. lld’04 (deceased)
- chen fong, hon. lld’19
- richard f. (dick) haskayne, o.c., aoe, hon. lld’97
- lois haskayne
- wayne henuset
- elizabeth henuset
- h. douglas hunter, hon. lld’19
- diane hunter, ba’67, ma’69, hon. lld’19
- brenda mackie
- keith macphail
- zainool mamdani
- david o’brien, o.c., hon. lld’10
- gail o’brien, hon. lld’10
- seymour schulich, o.c., hon. lld’10
- john simpson, hon. lld’05
- donald taylor, o.c., hon. lld’07
- ruth taylor
- michael j. tims, bcomm’76, hon. lld’09
- mac van wielingen, hon. lld’14
- david werklund, hon. lld’12