Helping generations of students build their futures
The Spirit of
Ford
George
Endowment Fund
Mechanical Engineering University of Alberta
Dr. George Ford (1919 ~ 2005) As a leader, teacher, and visionary, Dr. George Ford touched the lives of everyone he met in his six decades of serving the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta. Through his various roles as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Founder and Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering, Dr. Ford inspired his students to build a better society through the practical realization of engineering principles.
The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in Mechanical Engineering As a lasting way to honour Dr. George Ford’s legacy, the Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund was created by the Chair of Mechanical Engineering and a group of dedicated alumni who knew and were inspired by Dr. Ford, their professor, mentor, and friend. This fund will help provide students with broader technical capabilities and enhance the hands-on straightforward aspect of the undergraduate program. With your help, we can ensure that Dr. Ford’s vision of a well-rounded mechanical engineer will be realized time and again.
The Challenge... E
nsuring that Mechanical Engineering students graduate with solid practical experience is more important today than ever. When Dr. Ford founded the department over fifty years ago, many students came from rural backgrounds where they had grown up with frequent opportunities to work with their hands, not just in school but on a daily basis.
The primary goal of The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in Mechanical Engineering is to ensure that the students of today and tomorrow have the skills, opportunities, and quality “back-tobasics” education that past generations have benefitted from, to prepare them for excellence in their future engineering careers.
While today’s students may have the same passion for “figuring out how things work”, they have less hands-on experience than did earlier generations. With the advent of modern technologies and our culture’s increasingly urbanized shift to “ready-made” products, many of today’s students have strong computer and technological skills, but possess fewer practical capabilities. This shortcoming can lead to a gap in their engineering education.
Designed to honour and apply Dr. Ford’s strong belief in the active participation of learning, this fund will further the quality of education in the practical and applied sides of engineering.
The Vision... Dr. George Ford inspired generations of students to build a better society through the practical realization of engineering principles. To honour his spirit and extend his impact in perpetuity, the Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund will help support undergraduate educational experiences in Mechanical Engineering.
The goal of the department and alumni committee is to raise over $1 Million dollars for the Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in Mechanical Engineering.
How your contribution will make a difference...
“Education is the fuel that energizes our future. And education is harvested from practical training through institutions built on dreams of people like George Ford.� Esben and Aaron, 3rd Year Mechanical Engineering Students
The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund will help provide students with the tools and experiences needed to develop practical skills and capabilities by… • Supporting student design and fabrication projects with the tools they need to get the job done to the best of their abilities.
• Funding more field trips to local industrial facilities to provide the students with “real world” experiences and career guidance.
• Enhancing and updating the existing student group workspace for project work. This will help make their workspace an environment that fosters learning and self-expression.
• Upgrading the department machine-shop space through the purchase of more efficient and modern equipment to create up-to-date learning opportunities on a wider scale.
• Expanding student access to machine shop equipment to assist with constructing and testing designs, giving students the essential tactile, hands-on opportunities they need for growth.
• Providing students with fundamental use of hand tools and basic machine shop facilities so they can “tinker away” and make things work through skill, imagination and excitement.
• Supporting undergraduate extracurricular initiatives and experiences, including student vehicle projects (planes, robots and race cars) and student clubs. • And so much more that our students can get from opportunities provided by your support!
Join us in making a difference A Gift for Today
A Gift for Tomorrow
Donations given today immediately increase the endowment’s value through accrued interest. That means we can start making a difference for our students sooner. Ways you can give today include:
Consider making a legacy gift: By naming the Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in your will, you can enjoy the benefits of donating today (including tax savings) and help secure the future growth of the endowment tomorrow.
Credit Card • Cheque • Publicly Traded Securities • Life Insurance Policy • Marketable Property • Charitable Gift Annuity A tax receipt will be issued for your gift.
What is an Endowment? An endowment is an investment fund preserved over perpetuity that is set aside for the support and benefit of students.
A percentage of the interest
generated annually is expended and used for that which the endowment was designed.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta Dr. George Ford founded the Department of Mechanical Engineering in 1958. With the opening of the existing building in 1973, the opportunity to grow into the Faculty of Engineering’s single largest undergraduate program was made possible. Today, the department is home to over 700 undergraduate students and 40 professors and provides an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering with options for Co-Op programs and Biomedical
Engineering. Within the walls of the Mechanical Engineering building, there is an array of lecture theatres, classrooms, undergraduate laboratories and state-ofthe-art research facilities. There is also a large machine shop, an undergraduate student workspace for curricular and extracurricular activities, computer services, and laboratories — all used to build on Dr. Ford’s dream of providing a hands-on practical education in Mechanical Engineering.
MecE 260 Design Competition Practical hands-on engineering at its best!
Mechanical Engineering University of Alberta
Make a donation
I would like to make a gift in the form of a:
I would like to consider making a legacy gift:
q Cheque (payable to University of Alberta with “Spirit of George Ford” written in the memo line) PAY TO THE ORDER OF
MEMO
q Credit Card
q VISA
University of Alberta
q I would like information on how to include The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in my will or life insurance policy. q I have also enclosed a corporate matching gift from my (or my spouse’s) employer.
Spirit of George Ford
q I have already included The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in my will.
q MasterCard
Number_ _____________________________________________________________________
For more information on making a legacy gift:
Expiry Date___________________________________________________________________
Nena Jocic-Andrejevic Gift Planning Counsel The Faculty of Engineering E6-050 ETLC University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 Tel: 780.492.8969
Signature_ ___________________________________________________________________ Name on the card_____________________________________________________________
(please print)
q Publicly Traded Securities (Please contact Development Officer for a “Gift of Securities” form)
Linda Kelly Development and Communications Officer The Department of Mechanical Engineering 4-9 Mechanical Engineering Building University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2G8 Tel: 780.492.4160
03600
!
Return donation and completed form to:
Thank You! For more information, please contact:
Mechanical Engineering University of Alberta
Linda Kelly Development & Communications Officer The Department of Mechanical Engineering 4-9 Mechanical Engineering Building University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2G8 Tel: 780.492.4160 Fax: 780.492.2200 Email: linda.kelly@ualberta.ca
Nena Jocic-Andrejevic Gift Planning Counsel, External Relations The Faculty of Engineering E6-050 ETLC University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 Tel: 780.492.8969 Fax: 780.492.0500 Email: nena.jocic-andrejevic@ualberta.ca
www.mece.engineering.ualberta.ca