Alumni Weekend

It wasn’t like other weekends, it was Alumni weekend and the University of Calgary celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting this event consisting of two days of learning, interaction and fun. Elizabeth Cannon, President of the University of Calgary, welcomed guests to celebrate this major milestone of 50 years of innovation and impact. The Alumni weekend saw a gathering of many Haskayne and University alumni with special events in which well recognized leaders shared their wisdom.

In a facilitated conversation, business leaders Dick Haskayne and Geoff Cumming swapped stories at the prompting of interviewer Kelsey Norman. Both of these inspiring individuals have made major donations to the University; when asked about why support University initiatives, Mr. Haskayne replied, "it was natural for me," sharing how support from others made a difference in his life. Mr. Cumming spoke about the need for people to take responsibility and give back; he indicated acts like his and Mr. Haskayne’s encouraged others to give - not just money, but also volunteer time and effort.

Mr. Cumming shared the University should be aiming to train great leaders in all academic disciplines. When asked about the best business advice these leaders received, Mr. Cumming replied, "Be a good casting director - get the right people in the right spots." Mr. Haskayne added he was fortunate to have "associated with people with good ethics," emphasizing that if you make unethical decisions you do not know when they could come back to haunt you, "Good ethics is good for business."

We learned a lot from these leaders and from the insights of others! A big thank you to all the panel speakers for insightful discussions on Eco-Systems and Entrepreneurship: Mark Blackwell, BComm’11; Lesley Rigg, dean, Faculty of Science; Bill Borger, BComm’96, Olga Petricevic, professor, Haskayne School of Business; Breanne Everett, MD’09, MBA’13; Houston Peschl, BA’98, MBA’10; Gary Kovas, BComm’90, MBA’99; Holly Brattberg, BSc’06, MBA’11; and Dr. Bob Schulz, professor, Haskayne School of Business.

The common theme for the day was, “Be bold, be persistent and stick with it.” The 50 year celebration welcomed everyone, with many active learning opportunities and fun activities. There was something for everybody in this memorable weekend!