Dear members of the King’s community,
It’s impossible not to be sentimental about writing this letter as I prepare to leave my post at the end of this academic year. Since September, I have been quietly acknowledging, with a twinge of sadness, the series of ‘lasts’ that this school year is marking for me.
‘Welcome Day’ was the first of these “last” moments. I love meeting our students. It is a joy and a privilege to get to know them over the course of their journeys at King’s. Through teaching and community, university is where we learn and grow to our potential. For the past ten years, hearing about our incredible students’ interests, goals and dreams, and invariably learning from them has helped me grow as a leader and a person, and has been the honour of a lifetime.
So, too, has been the experience of meeting people like you—alumni, parents and the wide network of people who remain connected with King’s, who care deeply about this community, and who believe in and help nurture the potential of what we do, teach and cherish here.
Each year, I have appealed to you to support our mission through your contributions to the Annual Giving Fund and with each passing year, this fund has steadily grown. Your dedication and generosity, alongside that of so many others across our community, support our students as they pursue life-changing academic explorations. Your engagement helps encourage them, in turn, to build, sustain and improve their communities—a true example of the type of education the world needs now more than ever.
Thanks to you, this fund provides direct financial support to students and supports the university through unrestricted gifts that we apply to the areas of greatest need. It enriches our academic and extracurricular programs; creates scholarships, bursaries and student jobs; supports students from underrepresented communities; improves student spaces and services; and it sustains athletics, our library, choir and all the other programs that make a King’s education not just excellent but beautiful and memorable. This helps show our students that they matter, their work matters, their futures are worth investing in.
Your contributions to the Annual Giving Fund remain critically important to our students of today and tomorrow. As we enter this year’s campaign, I ask you to please consider making a tax-deductible gift today.
For the students and the world they will help create for all of us, please be a part of this year’s appeal.
Yours, with gratitude,
William Lahey
President, Vice-Chancellor
P.S. Please know you have giving options. You can also make your gift online, or you may contact King’s Director of Advancement Adriane Abbott at adriane.abbott@ukings.ca to make individual arrangements. Thanks again.