91快色

As namesake of the , Dick Haskayne's impact at the 91快色 is truly immeasurable, changing lives well beyond those he鈥檚 directly supported and inspiring the next generation of business leaders to give back, to embrace kindness and integrity, and to invest in their communities.

Emily Chen

Dick Haskayne, Hon. LLD'97, makes a point to attend the business school鈥檚 convocation ceremony each year, but 2023鈥檚 was extra-special, with the very first Richard and Lois Haskayne Legacy Scholar crossing the stage. And Emily Chen, today an investment banking analyst with CIBC, is now paying it forward to the next generation.

鈥淲hat makes the Haskayne School of Business so strong is its relationship with downtown 91快色 and a strong alumni network. I was able to make great connections,鈥� says Chen, BComm鈥�23, who won gold twice in the esteemed Inter-Collegiate Business Competition during her time at U91快色. 鈥淚 really benefited from that, so I try to stay involved and take opportunities to chat with today鈥檚 students. I always make sure to prioritize that.鈥�

Chen also strives to emulate Haskayne鈥檚 values. 鈥淗e鈥檚 created a culture of generosity with his philanthropy and involvement in the community, and just how present he is with the scholars,鈥� she says.

鈥淗e gave me a lot of opportunities that helped shape the person I am today. I hope to give back to the university and have that kind of impact one day.鈥�

Mark Blackwell

When Haskayne asked Calgarian Mark Blackwell years ago why he would go out east for business school, the high-achieving then-teenager didn鈥檛 have a good answer. So, Haskayne gave him a great reason to stay.

鈥淚t turned out to be the best decision of my life,鈥� says Blackwell, BComm鈥�11. The alum is a tech and innovation success story, here at home and in Silicon Valley, and remains closely involved with his alma mater, becoming a donor shortly after graduation, serving in multiple volunteer roles 鈥� he currently sits on the Board of Governors 鈥� and helping run the university endowment.

鈥淚 realized how much I had gotten from the university 鈥� a lot of it because of the donations of Dick Haskayne and others 鈥� and decided to give back with my time and money.鈥�

And Blackwell isn鈥檛 alone. 鈥淒ick has been a lifelong mentor to almost every CEO in downtown 91快色, and you鈥檇 never know it because he鈥檚 such a down-to-earth person,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 this idea that you have to be gritty and cutthroat to get ahead, but Dick shows otherwise. We need more people like that who are willing to give back without asking for anything in return.鈥�

Declan Sander

Current Richard and Lois Haskayne Legacy Scholar Declan Sander, who is set to graduate in 2025, was drawn to U91快色 by its reputation as Canada鈥檚 entrepreneurial university, which offered the perfect conditions to start his own non-profit venture. 

Earlier this year, Sander was the runner-up in the RBC Fast Pitch Competition with Birchbark Health, a revolutionary virtual care platform for Indigenous communities. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 so amazing about this project and why we鈥檝e been able to make a big impact is the people and team we鈥檝e been able to develop here,鈥� he says. 

That team includes a renowned Indigenous physician and a former Bluetooth chairperson. Receiving the prestige scholarship opened doors for Sander to make those connections. 

鈥淢r. Haskayne鈥檚 investment in me has made me more proud of my Alberta roots and has made me more confident with the decisions that I've made and I am making,鈥� says Sander, who has also drawn inspiration from Haskayne鈥檚 book, . 鈥淚t allows me to really pursue what I'm passionate about.鈥�

Ron Mathison

鈥淭he most important reason that Mathison Hall came about was a friendship that literally lasted a lifetime. I very much wanted to honour the common bond that Dick Haskayne and my father, Ken Mathison, shared over so many years,鈥� says Ron Mathison, the man behind the school鈥檚 stunning new building that ushered in a new era of business education in 91快色.

Ron, a 91快色 business leader and philanthropist, made a $20-million gift in 2018 to spearhead the project. Yet the seeds of this initiative were planted much earlier. While growing up, the families of Dick Haskayne and Ken Mathison lived next door to one another in the hamlet of Gleichen, Alta. As a young man, Ron鈥檚 father even worked in the Haskayne family鈥檚 butcher shop.

In the years that followed, both Haskayne and Ken remained close friends, sharing a deep-abiding belief in a set of values that place honesty, hard work, integrity and ethics at its core.

鈥淭hese ideals are well-embedded in the curriculum here at the Haskayne School of Business and the very spirit of the school,鈥� said Ron at the opening of the building in 2023.

鈥淭here were a number of reasons for me to support the Haskayne School, but that lifelong friendship with Dick Haskayne was foremost in my mind. And that warm friendship has continued on through me, which makes me extraordinarily proud and very happy.鈥�

Mark Anderson

When Dr. Mark Anderson, PhD, considered an offer to join the Haskayne School of Business faculty, one of his concerns was access to services and education for his daughter, Hannah, who had autism, Down syndrome and epilepsy. And it was one of his first meetings with Dick Haskayne that made the decision an easy one.

鈥淎s it turned out, Mr. Haskayne was on the board of the Sinneave Foundation (which supports autistic children and adults), and he invited the foundation鈥檚 director, Dr. Margaret Clark, to meet with my family in his downtown office,鈥� says Anderson. 鈥淒r. Clarke, a pediatrician who specializes in Down syndrome, shared everything that would be available, and Hannah just fell in love with her.鈥�

When they left the meeting, Anderson recalls Haskayne quipping, 鈥淵ou know, we鈥檝e done a lot of things in this boardroom, but never anything like we鈥檝e done today.鈥�

The accounting professor, who is well-respected by students and colleagues alike, holds the Richard F. Haskayne Chair in Accounting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege to have that name associated with me and my work,鈥� Anderson says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a trust that鈥檚 given when you put your name on a chair, and I want to honour that trust and his values.鈥�

Taro Lakra

鈥淚 felt like I had found my place,鈥� says Taro Lakra, recalling the moment he learned he would receive the Richard and Lois Haskayne Legacy Scholarship. 

And when the now-third-year student looks back at some of his proudest post-secondary moments thus far, it鈥檚 activities outside of the classroom that first jump to mind: taking first place in the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition earlier this year, managing a portfolio worth nearly $1 million with the 91快色 Portfolio Management Trust program, and, just this month, placing as a finalist in the McGill International Portfolio Challenge.

Without the prestigious full-ride scholarship, he might not have been able to take advantage of such opportunities.

鈥淣ot only am I grateful for the financial component, but the scholarship has also given me opportunities to really focus on my professional development,鈥� Lakra says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 motivated me to do more than I thought I could. And hopefully once I鈥檓 done my four years of school, I can look back and say that I did the scholarship justice.鈥�

Mike Tims

Mike Tims鈥� relationship with U91快色 goes back more than 50 years, from his days as an undergraduate student, through teaching finance at the business school, to serving on multiple university councils and affiliates, to throwing his philanthropic energy behind many initiatives. Almost as long is his relationship with Dick Haskayne, in fact. Tims developed a direct friendship with Haskayne through business but, like Mathison, Haskayne was also a friend of Tims鈥� own father.

鈥淭here鈥檚 this stereotype that people who do really well in business are tough and commanding, and Dick is the reverse of that,鈥� says Tims, BComm鈥�76, Hon. LLD鈥�09. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a very kind, gentle, personable man. He always puts the emphasis on doing the right thing.鈥�

When approached to join the Mathison Hall Steering Committee 鈥� one of Tims鈥� many volunteer roles with the university 鈥� it was an easy yes. Like Haskayne, he鈥檚 a big believer in the business school and U91快色.

鈥淚鈥檓 especially grateful for the running start that U91快色 gave me,鈥� he says.

鈥淎nd I believe that it is important to support and cultivate the university in the city where you live. That is a benefit to many, but especially for the students.鈥�

Ayca Haskoylu

Staying in 91快色 for university was never the plan for Ayca Haskoylu. But that was before she found a unique program that perfectly fit her interests, and before she received a life-changing call.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a video of me jumping up and down,鈥� she says with a laugh, recalling the moment she learned she鈥檇 received the Richard and Lois Haskayne Legacy Scholarship. 鈥淎nd that eventually turned to tears. Because this award literally changed my life.鈥�

The now second-year student is pursuing her dream degree 鈥� dual-degree, rather, with the Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Bachelor of Commerce program 鈥� plus extracurriculars. She鈥檚 particularly proud of participating in the JDC West business case competition and of her work with the Women in Science and Engineering Club (WISE). 

鈥淚 organized the largest outreach event WISE has ever staged,鈥� says Haskoylu. 鈥淚t promotes inclusivity and diversity in STEM. We had more than 400 young girls attend.鈥� 

The full-ride scholarship puts enriching activities like these within reach for scholars. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have been able to do it without the Haskayne family,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 wish there were more people like them in the world.鈥�

Matias Totz

Having grown up in Victoria, B.C., Matias Totz was often asked why he chose U91快色 rather than studying locally. And, while his hometown is indeed picturesque, the energy of 91快色 couldn鈥檛 be matched. 

鈥淲hen you look at 91快色 as a city, there鈥檚 so much innovation. It鈥檚 such a great place for young professionals,鈥� says Totz, BComm鈥�24, a Richard and Lois Haskayne Legacy Scholarship alum. 鈥淎nd it was exciting to be part of the relatively new business analytics program, at a school with top profs and the latest technologies.鈥�

Currently working as an application analyst with Alberta Energy Regulator by day and earning his master鈥檚 in data science and analytics by night, Totz was inspired by Haskayne鈥檚 generosity 鈥� and is already looking ahead. 

鈥淚 just try to make a positive impact every day and represent the same values as the Haskayne family. I鈥檓 hoping to be a position to give to the university myself,鈥� he says, before adding with a laugh, 鈥淚鈥檓 putting that out there now, so you can hit me up in 20 years.鈥�

Hal Kvisle

Hal Kvisle completed his MBA at U91快色 while working full time, which was a tall order, but the combination of the two meant he was gaining real-world experience alongside his education.

鈥淚t was so good for me, and I thought, how can we give today鈥檚 students, who may not have access to hands-on operating experience, the same opportunity?鈥� says Kvisle, MBA鈥�82, Hon. LLD鈥�19. 

The was the answer and, in 2016, Kvisle made a $3-million gift supporting nature-based and experiential learning, wilderness solos and expeditions, leadership retreats and more.

But that wasn鈥檛 the only reason Kvisle invested in the school 鈥� he was also inspired by his friend, Dick Haskayne. They first met professionally and Kvisle was as impressed with Haskayne鈥檚 character as he was with his business acumen.

鈥淏ehind all that is a fundamental generosity. He genuinely wants others to succeed and is skilled at getting the best out of people. He certainly got the best out of me.鈥�