The School of Religious Studies would like to thank Mr. Jonathan Birks (pictured, centre, next to Scott Corbett, Senior Development Officer, Faculty of Arts and Garth Green, Director of the School), Chair of the School of Religious Studies Advisory Board. The Birks Family Foundation has just made an important gift to the School, to support doctoral student research. Beginning in the Academic Year 2019-20, one advanced doctoral student each year will be named a Birks Family Foundation Scholar, and will receive a financial award.
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"Everything about this gift is exciting," Green commented. 鈥淭he fact that Mr. Birks and the Birks Family Foundation continue to find us a worthy destination for their benefaction is exciting. This gift is the most recent in a series that began with the establishment of the Faculty of Divinity in 1948, that includes the historic Birks Reading Room and Birks Chapel, and that involves the Birks Professorship in Comparative Religion, and the Birks Forum for Religion and Public Policy. His Family Foundation has been a leader in the philanthropic community in Montreal, and have supported many important initiatives in and outside of 91社区: we are glad to be amongst those benefactors. The model that we have employed, of the School鈥檚 matching of his contribution, is also exciting, it allow us to collaborate toward a common goal and maximize the value of our respective contributions. We hope to repeat it in the future. And the result is exciting; these funds will be endowed forever, but they will be available already next year to a deserving member of our doctoral cohort.鈥�
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"This gift has been targeted to an area of real importance for us. The high level of sustained excellence in our graduate program is a source of real pride, yet graduate fellowships can be one of the most challenging areas of need to raise resources for,鈥� said Green; 鈥渁t the same time, they offer immediate and high impact results. We are grateful that we have a friend, partner, and Advisory Board Chair who participates in and contributes to the life of the School as importantly and with as much impact as does Mr. Jonathan Birks.鈥�
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Thank you, Mr. Birks!
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