Learning should never be limited to the classroom

At the DeGroote School of Business, we strongly believe in the power of experiential education to change students’ lives. Whether this involves coordinating events, traveling to case competitions on the other side of the country or trekking through the rainforest on a service-learning mission, we know our students are eager to put their knowledge to the test in a variety of settings.

The DeGroote Experience Fund is used to help DeGroote students learn through experience. Funding is available to DeGroote students or student teams for national and international competitions, conferences, service trips, and a wide variety of events. We want students to learn outside the classroom to enrich their time at DeGroote.

The DeGroote Experience Fund was established through the generosity of donors who saw the value in investing in our future leaders.

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Recent Highlights

Five university students in professional attire, two women and three men, huddled around an older woman holding two trophies at her sides.

International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition

DeGroote competitors, on the strength of their “Mugmaster” coffee mug business, finished in first place at the 2019 International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition. Each spring, universities from around the globe participate in the tournament, billed as the world’s longest-running and most comprehensive business competition.

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Five Hispanic people, four women and one man, huddle together and smile. The woman in the middle holds a sign that reads,

Global Business Brigade: Panama

Global Business Brigades is an international movement of university students and professionals building economic opportunities in the developing world. It allows volunteers to act as consultants to local entrepreneurs in Panama, Ghana, and Honduras.

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Two businesswomen and two businessmen posing for a group photo in a Google event lobby.

Google Cloud Next

As co-winners of Visualize 2030 – a global contest in collaboration with Google Cloud, the United Nations Foundation, Work Bank, and Global Sustainable Development Goals – DeGroote BCom students Sarah Liou and Evan Snary were invited to attend Google Cloud Next in San Francisco.

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Four business students and a professor holding a large check that says 'Third Place Winner, $5,000.'

John Molson MBA International Case Competition

Challengers arrived from around the world, and only one team from North America landed on the podium: the DeGroote School of Business. DeGroote MBA candidates earned an impressive third-place finish at the 2019 John Molson MBA International Case Competition in Montréal.

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More Highlights

“Championing diversity in the workplace is extremely important to me. That’s why I contribute to the DeGroote Experience Fund. I want students at DeGroote from all walks of life to be able to access key resources and contacts outside the classroom. Sometimes, all it takes is a little support to help students make the next big leap in their lives and careers. We all have the power to make a difference.”

Mary Lou Maher, B. Com. ’83

Business Unit Leader, GTA Audit and Chief Inclusion Officer, KPMG

Portrait of Mark Thompson, a smiling White man wearing glasses and black suit.

“When I was a student, money was very tight. My father had just passed away. I had to take every odd job I could just to get by. I want to alleviate some of that financial stress for DeGroote students, so they can make the most of their time at university. There’s a significant upside to getting involved in activities outside the classroom.”

Mark Thompson, B. Com. ’83

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, Foyston, Gordon & Payne Inc.

“You want to make sure the students at your alma mater are well positioned to enjoy the same kind of success. I was able to make it in the Canadian corporate world, and I feel a responsibility to help others get there as well – especially DeGroote students who are trying to make connections outside the classroom, and may not have the resources to do so. I want to assist the next generation, however I can.”

Roger Brown, B. Com. ’10

Relationship Manager, Commercial Real Estate Banking, Scotiabank