FordGeorGe

EndowmentFund

The Spirit ofHelp ing gene ra t ions o f s tuden t s bu i ld the i r fu tu re s

MechanicalEngineeringU n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a

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.

Dr. George Ford (1919 ~ 2005)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.

Ensuring 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.

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.

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-to-basics” education that past generations have benefitted from, to prepare them for excellence in their future engineering careers.

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 Challenge...

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.

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.

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

• Supporting student design and fabrication projects with the tools they need to get the job done to the best of their abilities.

• 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.

• 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.

• Funding more field trips to local industrial facilities to provide the students with “real world” experiences and career guidance.

• 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.

• 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!

The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund will help provide students with the tools and experiences needed to develop practical skills and capabilities by…

A Gift for TodayDonations 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:

Credit Card

• Cheque

• PubliclyTradedSecurities

• LifeInsurancePolicy

• MarketableProperty

• CharitableGiftAnnuity

A tax receipt will be issued for your gift.

A Gift for TomorrowConsider 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.

Join us in making a difference

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.

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-of-the-art research facilities. There is also a large machine shop, an undergraduate student workspace for curricular and extra-curricular activities, computer services, and laboratories — all used to build on Dr. Ford’s dream of providing a hands-on practical education in Mechanical Engineering.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta

MecE 260 Design Competition Practical hands-on engineering at its best!

I would like to consider making a legacy gift:

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.

q I have already included The Spirit of George Ford Endowment Fund in my will.

For more information on making a legacy gift:

Nena Jocic-Andrejevic Gift Planning Counsel The Faculty of Engineering E6-050 ETLC University of Alberta Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 Tel: 780.492.8969

I would like to make a gift in the form of a:

q Cheque (payable to University of Alberta with “Spirit of George Ford” written in the memo line)

q Credit Card q VISA q MasterCard

Number _____________________________________________________________________

Expiry Date __________________________________________________________________

Signature ___________________________________________________________________

Name on the card ____________________________________________________________ (please print)

q Publicly Traded Securities (Please contact Development Officer for a “Gift of Securities” form)

PAY TO THEORDER OF

MEMO

University of Alberta

Spirit of George Ford

Make a donationMechanical

EngineeringU n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a

!

Return donation and completed form to:

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

For more information, please contact:

Linda Kelly Nena Jocic-AndrejevicDevelopment & Communications Officer Gift Planning Counsel, External Relations The Department of Mechanical Engineering The Faculty of Engineering4-9 Mechanical Engineering Building E6-050 ETLC University of Alberta University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB T6G 2G8 Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4Tel: 780.492.4160 Fax: 780.492.2200 Tel: 780.492.8969 Fax: 780.492.0500Email: linda.kelly@ualberta.ca Email: nena.jocic-andrejevic@ualberta.ca

www.mece.engineering.ualberta.ca

MechanicalEngineeringU n i v e r s i t y o f A l b e r t a

Thank You!