Being bold: the internal campaign

T H E   D A L H O U S I E   D I F F E R E N C E

It seems like a big number—180,000,000—and it is. But it’s a big number made up of a lot of smaller numbers.

Dalhousie’s Bold Ambitions campaign has raised $180 million towards its $250 million goal. There have been big gifts, like Seymour Schulich’s $20 million and the late Mona Campbell’s $10 million, but there are many, many smaller gifts too—$5 to $20 a month that add up quickly.

“It’s really about participation. What’s comfortable for you is what matters,” says Bonnie Best-Fleming, an advisor with Dalhousie’s Office of Human Rights, Equity and Harassment Prevention.

“Eight, 10, 20 dollars given monthly over a period of time really makes a difference,” adds Russell Boyd, longtime professor in the Department of Chemistry at Dalhousie and now Associate Vice-President Research.

As the campaign moves forward, Dr. Boyd and Ms. Best-Fleming have stepped up to lead what’s called Bold Ambitions’ internal campaign, which is directed at faculty and staff. Dal employees can expect a letter—if they haven’t already—asking them to contribute to the campaign.

Together, the campaign chairs have more than 70 years of experience at Dal between them—a fact that floors them both.

“I’ve grown and learned and been given many opportunities,” says Ms. Best-Fleming, who has been at Dal for 36 years. “I truly believe this organization creates real opportunities for people — and not just for people you would assume are able to come to university.”

Dr. Boyd arrived at Dalhousie in 1975, never realizing he would spend his whole career here. “I’ve been privileged to work with a great collection of people. The department is all about good students and good people working together trying to do their best. The spirit of collegiality is very special.”

Ms. Best-Fleming and Dr. Boyd stress that people who wish to support Dalhousie can tailor their contributions to a particular program or service. “If you have an idea of what you want to do, you can plot that out (with External Relations) and figure out how to meet that goal.”

In her own case, Ms. Best-Fleming has chosen to support the Transition Year Program (TYP), a one-year program for First Nations and African Canadian students to give them the requirements they need to enter university. She has made her support ongoing and also made a provision in her will. As for Dr. Boyd, he decided to support students interested in doing research in the summer and the Department of Chemistry’s visiting speakers program “thereby enriching the intellectual life of the department.”

“I’ve always felt so lucky to be able to work here, to be part of a terrific organization and to be paid well,” says Ms. Best-Fleming. “Part of giving back is an acknowledgement that we have been fortunate and privileged and to build opportunities for others.”

For more details on Bold Ambitions, please take a moment to visit the Bold Ambitions website.

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In a series of regular articles, Dal News has been introducing some of the priorities of the Bold Ambitions campaign:

The first story, "The Dalhousie Difference," explores what the power of philanthropy means to a university like Dalhousie.

• "All in a Day's work" 
• "Imagining where they can be" 
• "More than a great idea" 
• "Introducing the living lab" 
• "Students helping students" 
• Wing planned for the Dal Arts Centre 
• A solid foundation for Dalhousie Legal Aid
• Launching Bold Ambitions
• Scholarship is music to their ears
• A gift for engineering
• Memorial bursary pays tribute to Edward Perkins and his zest for life