A generous Trent alum has made $750,000 available in matching funds, hoping to inspire other alumni to pledge their support for a new Student Centre on Trent University’s Symons Campus in Peterborough.

“This outstanding gift creates an opportunity for all alumni to give,” says Sherry Booth, campaign director at Trent University. “All alumni pledges, no matter the size, will be matched, and if this is the first time alumni give to Trent, their donations will be double matched. There has never been a better time to help support the students’ vision.”

Students are the driving force behind the new Student Centre. They are providing, through a special levy, $10.5 million of the $16 million required for the building, with $1.5 million coming from the University. This commitment is what inspired the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, to make $750,000 in matching funds available to create the Alumni Student Centre Challenge.

“Students are providing the majority of the funding. Now we are asking alumni to help keep the unique Trent student experience alive,” notes Alaine Spiwak, president of the Trent Central Student Association. “This project will mean so much to future generations of Trent students.”

The $4 million fundraising initiative is part of Trent University’s $50 Million Campaign: Unleash the Potential, which builds on successful fundraising from Trent faculty, staff, retirees and board members, which has raised over $500,000 to date. In October, the Student Centre received a $1 million gift from entertainment entrepreneur, lawyer and alumnus, Stephen Stohn ’66.

The new Student Centre, designed by Teeple Architects with student input, will be located beside the Bata Library on the banks of the Otonabee River. The 37,000-square-foot building will house Stohn Hall, a 250-seat tiered lecture theatre that can also host special events and performances, and two state-of-the-art, high tech classrooms. It will also provide a home for Trent’s new Centre for Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation, which will equip students with the knowledge, tools, experiences and support they need to become successful innovators and entrepreneurs. There will also be new meeting spaces for Trent’s diverse clubs and levy groups, and formal and informal space for all students, those who live on campus and off.

“Students have demonstrated their leadership,” says Ms. Booth. “Now they are challenging our alumni to help. This generous offer from one alum creates a unique opportunity for alumni to build on their experience at Trent and pay it forward for generations to come.”

The Alumni Student Centre Challenge began March 1, 2016 and will run until the end of April. The campaign is largely email based and will also use social media to reach out to alumni, tell them about the new centre, what it will bring to the Symons Campus, how it will help strengthen the Trent community, and ask them to accept the challenge and make a pledge. All alumni pledges will be matched, and first-time donors will see their pledges double matched, until the $750,000 in matching funds are exhausted.

To learn more about the Alumni Student Centre Challenge, or to make a gift, visit trentu.ca/ASCChallenge 

About Trent’s $50 Million Campaign

The goal of the $50 Million Campaign is to unleash the potential of our students. To do that, we are focused on three strategic priorities: to ensure students benefit from outstanding student experiences, to support ongoing teaching excellence, and to invest in world-class research. For more about this ambitious campaign, please visit our site at www.trentu.ca/give