transforming canada's legal profession

l-r: faculty of law founding dean lee stuesser, john b. laskin, barbara laskin, and lakehead president brian stevenson celebrate the official naming of the bora laskin faculty of law.

hatch inspires aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛

thunder bay hmm project manager kathryn bemben (left) and dean of engineering david barnett (right).

lakehead’s aboriginal mentorship program (amp) received a giant boost from our friends at hatch – a leading engineering and consulting firm. hatch has operations around the world and is recognized for giving back to the communities where it works.

on december 12, 2014, representatives from the hatch head office in mississauga, ontario, and the thunder bay hatch mott macdonald (hmm) office visited 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 to present amp coordinator lisa harris with a cheque for $20,000.

this generous gift will further amp’s mission of inspiring aboriginal high school 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 throughout northwestern ontario by enhancing learning opportunities in science, engineering, and business as well as bolstering their academic success. amp does this by partnering high school 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 with lakehead science, engineering, and business 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 who act as volunteer mentors. amp incorporates interactive learning opportunities into both high school and university environments.

kathryn bemben of hatch mott macdonald and professor david barnett, lakehead’s dean of engineering, are excited to be fostering aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛
’ interest in science
l to r: hatch global director of mining pierre rocque, thunder bay hmm project manager kathryn bemben,
hmm sr. assoc. provincial infrastructure gerry buckrell, biology professor peter lee, dean of engineering david barnett,
hatch managing director tony cesta, acting dean of science and environmental studies todd randall,
amp coordinator lisa harris, and philanthropy director jennifer childs

creating this positive connection has a real impact on the lives of aboriginal youth. lisa harris says, “one of the most moving things i’ve encountered is an increase in the confidence levels of our high school 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , many of whom are from remote communities. they’ve told me that ‘before the amp program i never saw myself going to university, now i believe that i can.’ improving 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 ’ confidence can make a world of difference.”

阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 has one of the higher percentages of first nations, metis, and inuit 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 among canadian universities with an estimated 1,175 aboriginal 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 attending both thunder bay and orillia campuses, representing approximately 11% of the student population.

thunder bay hmm project manager kathryn bemben was on hand for the cheque presentation ceremony. kathryn, a 1981 lakehead civil engineering grad, is very proud of the company’s track record as an employer of postsecondary school graduates. “by supporting lakehead’s aboriginal mentorship program, we are fostering a talent pool of promising aboriginal youth right here in northwestern ontario,” she explains. 

tony cesta, hatch managing director, mississauga, is convinced that hatch’s “commitment to diversity continues to be a source of strength. it is one reason we have excelled in innovation.”

thank you to everyone at hatch for believing in thunder bay and northwestern ontario 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 !

the picherack family fund supports law school renovations

frances picherack headshot

don’t let frances picherack’s tiny stature fool you.  she is a woman of great character and tenacious spirit. 

frances also personifies the word loyal – a quality that dictionary.com defines as a commitment to a cause, ideal, custom, institution or product.   

her loyalty lies with her family, her community, and 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .                            

frances is a thunder bay native, a lakehead alumna, and a current member of lakehead’s board of governors. she and her son roman (mcgill law, 2008) have made a generous $30,000 gift from the picherack family fund to the bora laskin faculty of law.

now a practising bank finance lawyer in paris, roman’s philanthropic spirit of “giving back” and “paying it forward” was influenced by the commitment of his parents to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 .

in 2006, frances and her late husband richard became one of 40 friends of 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 when they established a $10,000 northern ontario school of medicine (nosm) endowed scholarship. the frances guzzi picherack saydana award is given annually to a nosm student. under roman’s direction, the picherack family fund also gave the first $10,000 scholarship donation to lakehead’s bora laskin faculty of law in 2011.

frances’ connection to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 has deep roots.

one of six guzzi girls, “frankie,” as her father still affectionately calls her, was raised by immigrant parents. at the encouragement of her italian father, francesco, and her irish mother, bridget, frances attended port arthur collegiate institute (paci) – a high school known for its academic excellence and, now, decades later, as the home of lakehead’s bora laskin faculty of law.

an involved, driven, and successful student, frances graduated from 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 with a bachelor of science in nursing, winning the dean’s gold medal for university schools. not content to rest on her laurels, frances followed up this achievement by earning a master of education.

the picherack family fund’s latest gift to the bora laskin faculty of law will be used to refurbish the law school’s 100-year-old lower level washrooms. these updates will be greatly appreciated by the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and faculty.

in recognition of this gift, the picherack family fund seminar room is being named in honour of john richard “ritchie” picherack, (uwo, 1964, u of t, 1970), who was chief administrative officer for the city of thunder bay from 1978 to 1982.

as for the washrooms, it has always been frances’ vision to create something more than a utilitarian space. “a washroom allows you to collect your thoughts and regroup,” she explains. “it is a private space where one can momentarily ‘step into’ and  ‘step out of’ the fast-paced challenges of student life.”

frances picherack is proud that her former high school, the “great rampart on the hill,” now stands as the bora laskin faculty of law on the shores of the “great gitchee gumee.” 

and 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 is very honoured by the generosity and loyalty that frances and the picherack family have shown us. thank you!

retired teachers rally around lakehead’s law school

front entrance of bora laskin faculty of law

the shouts of enthusiastic 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 on crisp autumn days cheering for their beloved football team are as fresh in the minds of the paci retired teachers group as if it were yesterday.

since 1999 they’ve been meeting monthly, often over lunch, to reminisce about fulfilling teaching careers at the port arthur collegiate institute and to nurture long-time friendships.

when this iconic thunder bay high school closed it doors in 2007, it was a bittersweet moment for the retired paci teachers, principals, and vice-principals. the hallways and classrooms that had once teemed with young people filled with big dreams and ambitions fell silent.

that’s why they were proud to donate $2,013 to 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 ’s ‘2013 fund.’ the fund supports capital projects dedicated to renovating 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 ’s bora laskin faculty of law – now located in the paci building.

when these former educators recently toured paci, it was once again alive with the footsteps and laughter of 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 – future lawyers who will provide essential legal services for northwestern ontarians and canadians in rural and smaller communities throughout the country.

during their visit, the group marvelled at the changes to the 100-year-old-building, especially the newly-designed library and boardroom, and they were impressed by the care lakehead is taking to preserve paci’s architectural beauty.

the “old rampart on the hill” still stands strong. it’s a legacy that will endure thanks to the efforts of a loyal and committed group of retired teachers.  cheer cheer for paci!
your support will enable us to provide the next generation of leaders with an outstanding legal education. for more information and to contribute to the ‘2013 fund,’ please contact:

lee-anne camlin
philanthropy associate
(807) 346-7792
lee-anne.camlin@lakeheadu.ca

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