Okanagan lawyer and community advocate Paul Mitchell.
A $10,000 annual prize, committed for 20 years, has been created by Pushor Mitchell LLP to be awarded each year to a top graduating student in the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC Okanagan.
The Pushor Mitchell LLP Gold Medal Leadership Prize will be given annually to an undergraduate student who has successfully completed their final 54 credits in the Barber School, and who demonstrates high academic achievement and leadership in one or more of the following areas: community service or volunteerism, cross-cultural relations, promotion of diversity, intellectual pursuits, and artistic or athletic endeavours.
"This gift from our law firm is recognition of the tremendous importance of UBC Okanagan to the region," says Theresa Arsenault, partner at Pushor Mitchell LLP. "We also want to inspire students to develop leadership skills while at university and become leaders in their communities. We are delighted to support those students who excel at every level and, in particular, demonstrate the qualities of a global citizen, ready to make the world a better place."
"The leadership values recognized in this award definitely reflect Pushor Mitchell's reputation for community involvement and leadership," says Doug Owram, Deputy Vice Chancellor, who announced the award today at the UBC Board of Governors meeting at UBC Okanagan.
"We want our students to develop their leadership potential as part of their experience and growth at UBC Okanagan," Owram says. "This award is a powerful way for us to recognize the efforts that students make to learn, discover and contribute in their own ways."
Cynthia Mathieson, acting Dean of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, notes that, "This extraordinary and generous Pushor Mitchell award reflects the new generation of leaders we are striving to create. We need to produce well-rounded graduates who will guide us to a more sustainable and equitable future."
The prize will be awarded on the recommendation of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences. The first award will be available for the 2009/10 Winter Session.
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