Be True to Your School

Welcome.

Right now, you are part of something. You have been a part of things in the past, but this is much different. Over the next 3, 4, 5, or perhaps 6 years (Iím not here to judge) you will be taking the majority of your classes, doing the majority of your studying, meeting the majority of your new friends in the: The Management/Transport Building.

Wait a minute. I signed up to go to the Asper School of Business. Isnít it the Asper Building that Iím in? No. The official name of the bricks and mortar which you are in is, in fact, The Management/Transport Building. This surrounds the Drake Centre, which is the home of the Asper School of Business. Confused? Let me explain

We at the Asper School know virtually nothing about our schoolís past, present or future. Considering I spend more time here than I do at home I think this is a shocking reality. Let us add up the hours. Bare minimum you are here 9-15 hours per week for class, depending on course load and attendance habits. You also may choose to study at the school or come to speak with a professor at one point or another. I would venture that the average student is in the School around 20 hours per week. That is almost a full day!

So, letís recap: You are spending one full day per week, for the majority of the year, for 4 years in this building. It might be a good idea to know what it is called. What do you think would happen if you didnít know your address after living there for 4 years? Your parents would be putting padding on the sharp corners around the house and not letting you play with the small Legos.

This is why you need to take 5 minutes out of your busy day and learn a little something about where you are. I have a brief history of the school that was compiled by Sheila Molloy, the Executive Director of the Associates, and she has kindly allowed me to use her hard work. All factual information in this article has been collected and provided by Ms. Molloy and I thank her.

THE BEGINNING....

The University of Manitobaís Centre for Professional Management Education (predecessor of the Asper School of Business) was founded in 1937. Todayís building, however, was not constructed for some time after that. This is the story of how it came to be:

In 1981 Roland Grandpre became the Dean of the Faculty. He had three major priorities; revise the undergraduate program, build the support of the business community and raise funds to build a new building specifically for the Faculty of Management. Recognizing the significant capital needed to construct a building, he focused on his second goal: Building the support of the Winnipeg business community.

In 1982 Dean Grandpre began the Associates of the Asper School of Business (www.associatesmb.ca). The business community quickly came on board and today the Associates has well over 200 members (visit the website for the impressive member list). The number one goal of the Associates was and is to improve the quality of business education at the University of Manitoba. Our school would not be where it is today without them and all students should be thankful.

Dean Grandpre was not the only person who felt a need for a new building. Students who wanted to actively pressure the University to construct a new building soon approached him. The Dean suggested that rather than protest, the students should do something positive. This was the birth of the ìRace for Spaceî which was a 10k run designed to raise funds, and more importantly publicity, for the new building. The Race was held annually from 1982-84 and the participants ranged from politicians, to faculty members, to students, to a large amount of Winnipeg business-people. Over its three-year life, the campaign raised around $50,000, but more importantly a large amount of publicity and support.

In 1985 ground broke on the Freedman Crescent site, chosen from three options. The site was chosen by architect Etienne Gaboury for its view of the Red River, proximity to both the University Library and the center of campus.

The buildinG....

The building, as designed by Gaboury, is roughly 130,000 square feet and had a price tag of $14.5 million. This was funded, in addition to the private donations received, by the Federal Government. The problem was the Feds didnít give money to the construction of business schools, but rather to institutes that contribute to National improvement. Thus, half of the building was dedicated to the Transport Institute. You can still see the signage denoting areas of the building to this cause. This 50/50 partnership between the Feds and the University is reflected in the buildingís title (The Management/Transport Building).

This is when the naming becomes interesting. During the Capital Campaign for the construction of the Building an Associate by the name of Jack McKeag called a fellow graduate by the name of Bill Pollock. Mr Pollock was the co-founder of what would eventually become Drake International, one of the worldís largest human resource management firms. Mr Pollock made a generous donation of $2 million to the Campaign, the largest made at that time, but he did not want anything named after him. He instead chose for the space within the building that did not house the Transport Institute to be named after his company: The Drake Centre. This dedication was made in 1987.

Israel Asper...

I want to first go on a brief tangent about Israel Asper. This was an amazing man. I think that in order to graduate from our School a requirement should be to have read ìIzzyî by Peter C. Newman. It is an absolutely extraordinary account of the compelling life of Dr. Asper and anyone interested in business would be well served to read it.

Izzyís first donation to the School was in 1997. Through the Asper Foundation $1 million was given towards the creation of the Asper Centre for Entrepreneurship. Three years later in 2000 he made an additional gift of $10 million, and the I. H. Asper School of Business was created (later re-branded the Asper School of Business).

The donation of $10 million went a long way to improve the quality of the school. Its commitment to continuous improvement and to its goal of producing some of Manitoba, Canada and the Worldís most outstanding leaders changed the school forever.

So now you know where you are. The building is just one part of the history of our school. The full history would, and is going to, fill a book. Make sure to take the time to learn some of this history. I guarantee you will feel more pride in your school and in yourself for it.