Wednesday, March 24, 2021, Oshawa

Together with her family, Dr. Katie Taylor, honorary chair of the Campaign for Trent Durham GTA, has made a generous $150,000 philanthropic gift in support of the new residence and academic building at Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area.

"Dr. Taylor has been a strong supporter of our campus' expansion since the very beginning," said Dr. Scott Henderson, dean and head of Trent University Durham GTA. "We are grateful to Katie for investing her time, leadership and resources to allow more students access to a Trent education.”

Dr. Taylor joined the Campaign as its honorary campaign chair in February of 2020, bringing her business acumen as a forerunner of Canadian business and deep passion for higher education. 

"The Campaign for Trent Durham GTA and campus expansion creates more space for students to excel," explained Dr. Taylor. "Education transformed my life and that transformational power that I value so deeply is now available to more students in the region to pursue their dreams and reach their potential."

The Campaign for Trent Durham, launched in March of 2019, was pivotal to the creation of a new residence – a first for the Trent Durham campus – and state-of-the-art academic building, which opened in September 2020. The expansion features a 200-bed residence, 100-seat tiered lecture hall, two 64-seat classrooms, research space, student common spaces, new green space, and faculty offices.

Dr. Taylor's gift helped push the Campaign over its $5 million fundraising goal, raising $5.6 million raised towards the campus expansion. The overall success of the Campaign is tied to the generosity of numerous donors across the local and Trent communities, including business leaders and community members, as well as Trent Durham staff and faculty. 

Dr. Taylor is the chair of the Royal Bank of Canada, the former president and chief executive officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Sick Kids Foundation chair, and trustee of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. Dr. Taylor began her career practicing competition and securities law on Bay Street before she began working in the hospitality industry with Four Seasons. During the span of her 24-year career with Four Seasons Hotels, Dr. Taylor held many senior leadership roles before being named chief executive officer in 2010. She played an instrumental role in establishing the portfolio of luxury properties around the globe, and her leadership was deemed a contributor towards the company's widespread expansion. Transitioning to her time with RBC, Dr. Taylor has served on the company's Board since 2001 chairing the Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committees and serving on the Audit and Risk Committees before being named the chair of the Royal Bank of Canada. Dr. Taylor is described as having an uncanny ability to build bridges across boundaries such as class, gender and race. 

In recognition of her accomplishments, Trent presented Dr. Taylor with an honorary degree – the University's highest honour – in 2016. Currently, Dr. Taylor is the inaugural CEO-in-residence with Trent’s prestigious School of Business. This new program gives students at both the Peterborough and Durham campuses unparalleled access, inspiration, and opportunities to learn from business leaders.

Looking forward, phase two of The Campaign for Trent Durham, now underway, will continue to strengthen and grow the University's presence in the Durham Region by supporting students with increased financial support and through the development of enhanced career-boosting experiences for students. To learn more about what's next, visit trentu.ca/giveTrentDurham.