Bringing Worlds Together
Dalhousie is undertaking its largest fundraising initiative ever among Atlantic Canadian universities. With its goal of raising $750 million, Bringing Worlds Together aims to make a better future for everyone.
On April 2nd, more than 400 alumni, friends, and benefactors came together at Dal’s Student Union Building to celebrate the launch of Bringing Worlds Together, the university’s $750-million fundraising campaign.
The energy in the room was palpable as Dal’s president, Kim Brooks, shared our vision - the largest fundraising initiative ever among Atlantic Canadian universities. She said it will start with extraordinary partnerships and end with extraordinary solutions. But to change the world, she added, we cannot be worlds apart.
“Our ambition for this campaign is to share our capacity and talent with the world in a way that profoundly shapes it,” Brooks said. “This isn’t about making Dalhousie better; this is about coming together to bring about a more just and equitable future. It’s about making the world better. And it starts here in Nova Scotia.”
Brooks added that Dal is making progress toward that future, with nearly half of the campaign’s fundraising goal already raised. It’s an achievement that exceeds the total amount raised through the university’s last major comprehensive fundraising campaign, Bold Ambitions, which wrapped up in 2013.
A HUB FOR CHANGE Bringing Worlds Together
builds on the success and growth that Dalhousie is experiencing. As the region’s largest research-intensive university, Dal is able to engage partners locally and beyond in research and projects that tackle major issues and seize opportunities. That, Brooks said, has made the university a vital hub for collaboration. It has also enabled Dal to have an impact in areas such as ocean sustainability, improving health outcomes, food security, and climate change, earning widespread recognition for the solutions we have developed.
“For more than 200 years, our extraordinary community of alumni, donors, and partners have enabled Dalhousie to do the extraordinary - to become a national university with global impact,” she said.
With Bringing Worlds Together, Brooks said Dalhousie is taking that to a whole new level. The campaign’s three pillars highlight how the university will make good on this commitment. “Inspiring Future-ready Leaders” creates clear paths for students to succeed. “Engaging in Highimpact Research” tackles some of the most complex issues facing humankind. And “Lifting Our Communities” will lead to more clinics, programs, and outreach efforts that help strengthen communities in Nova Scotia and beyond.
“Dalhousie is a place where worlds come together,” Brooks said. “Where scholarly excellence meets handson learning experiences. Where students get to know world-leading researchers in their classes. And where groundbreaking research is helping us achieve a better and more sustainable future that leaves no one behind.”
BIG PLANS, BIG IMPACT
Supported by Bringing Worlds Together, Dalhousie will invest in enhanced and new programs, supports, and facilities with far-reaching impacts. For example, the university plans to create more scholarships to ensure that every qualified student has the financial support they need for a Dalhousie education. Also in the works is the launch of Dalhousie’s Biomanufacturing Bridge, a specialized, smallscale biomanufacturing facility that will turn medical breakthroughs into new treatments that change patients’ lives. And there are plans for a new community clinic that will expand access to the oral care, legal, and social work services that are available to underserved populations through Dal’s existing clinics.
“Our ambitions for this campaign are to vault us even further ahead in the areas where our impact has the potential to grow exponentially and profoundly change the world,” Brooks said.
BRINGING THE WORLD ON BOARD
Having made history with the announcement of Bringing Worlds Together, Brooks and Dalhousie are focused on what’s next. With half of the campaign goal raised, there is considerable momentum to raise the other half. The university is ready to capitalize on that with upcoming launch events in Truro, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary. Brooks said she is looking forward to sharing details about the campaign with alumni, partners, and donors across the country and inviting them to support Dalhousie’s efforts to rise to the most pressing challenges facing society.
“That’s why we are Bringing Worlds Together,” she said. “We are seeking partners who want to drive meaningful and lasting change that leaves no one behind, who want to accelerate talent and create impact with distinction, and who know that community matters. We can make a better world. And we can do it when we Bring Worlds Together.”
To explore how you can help bring worlds together, please visit dal.ca/worlds-together.