Launched: The Campaign for
#Excellencew has raised $25 million to date of our $30 million goal to support students
By Lucianna Ciccocioppo Photography by Dhoui Chang
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO FACULTY OF LAW
T
he University of Toronto Faculty of Law has announced a $30 million campaign to significantly deepen the financial aid pool and enhance the student experience. The Campaign for Excellence without Barriers, with a specific goal of raising $20 million for student financial aid, is the largest bursary-focused campaign at any Canadian law school. Increasing accessibility to the Faculty of Law for students who merit admission is the number one priority for the law school. The Faculty of Law awards student financial aid only on the basis of financial need. Increasing the financial aid pool helps support applications by top candidates with financial need, alleviates stress for students during law school, and helps graduates make career decisions based on their choice and passion—often in social justice and public service areas, benefitting our communities. And the Faculty assists with eligible academic debt repayment with its unique Post-Graduate Debt Relief Program. “It’s fundamental that we continue to get the very best students interested
in studying law here no matter their backgrounds,” says Dean Edward Iacobucci. “We need to have a diverse profession that reflects the range of experience that we’re so proud of in this country. I think a great deal would be lost if financial obstacles prevented a broad range of people from attending the Faculty of Law.” To date, U of T Law alumni and other supporters have given $25 million to the Campaign for students, including $15 million for student financial aid—and the support keeps growing. Other gifts support co-curricular programming for students, such as legal clinics, mental health initiatives, professional skills development and other opportunities while in law school. The number one priority is financial aid. “Student financial aid is important because it is imperative to recognize that there are barriers to education, and financial barriers do prevent students from studying law,” says Maressa Singh, JD/MBA Candidate 2019. “If we want the legal profession to be representative of the population that it serves, we need to identify these barriers
