Following an $8-million donation, Kwantlen Polytechnic University has renamed it business school.
Formerly the KPU School of Business, it is now named the Melville School of Business after George Melville, who co-founded Boston Pizza International Inc., and his wife Sylvia gifted $8 million to KPU over four years in an “historic donation.”
“Sylvia and I are very proud to be able to make this investment in the future of the KPU School of Business,” said George Melville, who served as KPU’s second chancellor from 2014 to 2020. “Our hope is that the Advanced Teaching and Learning Fund will enhance the educational experience for students for many years to come. There are also funds for scholarships and bursaries, which will make KPU’s excellent business program more accessible to students than ever before.”
The donation includes:
– $3 million to establish the Melville School of Business Advanced Teaching and Learning Technology Fund, which will provide students with the most up-to-date teaching technology and equipment used in business and industry;
– $2 million to create the Melville School of Business Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide $100,000 in scholarships annually for undergraduate business students;
– $1 million to establish the Melville School of Business Endowed Bursary Fund, which will provide $50,000 annually for bursaries for undergraduate business students;
– $1 million to create the Melville School of Business Endowed Scholarship Fund for post-baccalaureate students, which will provide $50,000 for scholarships for post-baccalaureate business students;
– $500,000 for the Melville School of Business Endowed Case Competition Fund, which will provide $25,000 annually to support business students taking part in case competitions;
– $450,000 to create the Melville School of Business Incubator Fund, which will provide the necessary seed funding to launch and support operations of the Melville School of Business Venture Fund;
– $50,000 for the Melville School of Business Activation Fund, which will support the rebranding of the Melville School of Business.
Alan Davis, the president and vice-chancellor of KPU, said the donation “will create tremendous opportunities for students and faculty, and will significantly enhance the reputation of both the business school and KPU.”
The Melvilles have previously donated $500,000 to create the Melville Centre for Dialogue at the Richmond campus. They have also donated millions to organizations in B.C., including the Union Gospel Mission, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, St. Paul’s IBD Centre, Covenant House and the Rick Hansen Foundation.
