Motivated by admiration for King’s, its students and the first pillar of the Future King’s campaign aimed at empowering student success and access, former President Dr. George Cooper CM, KC, DCL, and his wife, Tia, have transformed their scholarship from an entrance award to a renewable scholarship through a generous personal gift.
“Tia and I were delighted to join other guests in the Lodge for President Lahey’s launch of the Future King’s campaign. His spectacular announcement that King’s has already raised $10 million toward their $15-million goal motivated us,” Cooper explained. “We are happy to assist with the goal of making King’s more accessible, which includes financial accessibility, by offering our support to some of the bright, curious students who are attracted to the exceptional education King’s offers.”
A self-described “accidental president,” Cooper was first appointed interim president and vice-chancellor in 2012 for two years. The Board of Governors then asked him to serve an additional two years as president. His four-year tenure brought stability and strategic direction to the college through changes to governance, staffing, academic direction, fundraising and improvements to the physical plant. Cooper set a new course for the university with a determined focus on differentiation, collaboration and excellence.
When Cooper retired in 2016, the Honourable Dr. Kevin Lynch PC, OC, the university’s then-chancellor, led the establishment of an endowed scholarship to honour Cooper’s service to King’s. Vested by the chancellor, the scholarship was established as an open fund to which members of the community, Board of Governors, faculty, staff and friends could contribute.
First awarded in September 2016, the Dr. George T. H. Cooper Scholarship grew to become an annual $5,000 entrance award for undergraduate students from Atlantic Canada entering any degree program at King’s.
Now, with George and Tia’s gift of an additional $100,000 towards the endowment, the total amount the recipients will receive has doubled—each recipient will now receive $10,000 over four years, rather than a single entrance award of $5,000.
“We understand this is preferable,” Cooper said, “as it gives more stability to the students while increasing the total purse. We are told that knowing they will receive at least $2,500 per year of study is a confidence builder, as all student awards are. Tia and I are happy to contribute to student success in this way.”
During Cooper’s presidency, Tia was commended for her tireless effort as chair of King’s 225th Anniversary Celebrations in 2014, a resounding success. She also guided the management of the restoration of the President’s Lodge, reopened in 2015 after extensive renovations. Post-restoration, the Lodge once again became a home to the president and their family with public rooms for the college community and its guests. President Lahey acknowledged Tia’s work on the Lodge at the Future King’s campaign launch, held in the very rooms she helped restore.
Cooper requested another change to the scholarship—its name. In recognition of their life-long partnership and Tia’s considerable personal contributions to King’s, the Dr. George T. H. Cooper Scholarship will now be known as the George and Tia Cooper Scholarship.
“We are grateful to George and Tia for all their support over the years,” says President Lahey. “George has served many roles at King’s in addition to president. He’s been chair of the Board and assisted with two major fundraising campaigns for the Library and New Academic Building. George and Tia are also parents to alumni in our community—both their son and daughter attended the college and that’s truly the highest possible endorsement of King’s. We thank them for their gift to the Future King’s campaign, which will help current and many future students, too.”
