DLSPH Open: Advancement Excellence
December 6/2018
Dear colleagues,
Over the last few months, we’ve discussed the DLSPH’s fiscal snapshot with faculty, staff and School Council. The upshot: the School is in solid financial standing, thanks to a strong Academic Budget Review complimented by outstanding efforts led by all members of the DLSPH community.
Four years ago, the DLSPH embarked on the first fundraising campaign of its kind for a Canadian public health school and I’m proud that thanks to the hard work of our community, we’ve raised more than $44-million for the School. For a new faculty emerging from the Faculty of Medicine to approach the $50-million mark is a tremendous achievement that’s the result of hard work and strategic thinking by our Advancement Office and strong engagement across our faculty. With the DLSPH Boundless Campaign culminating at the end of the year, it’s timely to share an overview of our shared achievements made possible with the unprecedented support of faculty, students, staff, alumni and donors.
With input from faculty across the School, we’re renewing our advancement priorities. As the School develops its 2019 to 2024 academic plan, our advancement priorities will continue to evolve to help the School reach its goals. An academic plan is critical to the growth of our School because it will guide investments, advancement and engagement, as well as point to new opportunities for growth.
One emerging example is the Centre for Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, which is the result of collaborative planning by faculty from across the school and across the university where advancement has already started to identify opportunities for support.
Not only have faculty members supported advancement efforts by actively participating in priority-setting, several faculty and alumni have made generous gifts to support lectures, prizes and scholarships that will strengthen our platforms and enhance our ability to attract the very best and brightest students and learners. We are grateful to all our supporters and thankful to those who invest in our community’s impact, and thank-you to our Advancement Office.
As the U of T Boundless Campaign draws to a close, we’ll see a number of University-wide events throughout 2019 celebrating milestones of the last 10 years. Our fundraising efforts played an important role in the University exceeding its $2.4-billion goal, notably the transformative gifts by the Dalla Lana family, totalling $40-million and Drs. Michael and Amira Dan’s $10-million gift to establish the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health, the world’s first privately endowed Indigenous health institute.
With all of these ongoing efforts, I’m confident that our School is well-positioned for continued growth and advancement opportunities will continue to support improvements to the student experience, amplify faculty influence and research impact. I’d like to thank our all members and supporters of our community for their ongoing engagement and invite any comments, questions or concerns regarding fundraising, academic planning and beyond.
Sincerely,
Adalsteinn Brown
Dean and Professor
Dalla Lana School of Public Health