Five charities honoured at North York luncheon Nov. 20

TORONTO – The winners of the second annual Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards (VSRAs) were announced at a luncheon ceremony in North York on November 20. At a time when financial reporting is becoming increasingly important to organizations of all types and sizes, the VSRAs recognize those organizations within Ontario’s diverse and growing not-for-profit sector that have achieved best practices.

The winners in the four categories are:
National or international NPO headquartered in Ontario
• World Vision Canada

Total revenues over $10 million (tie)
• Covenant House Toronto
• United Way of Greater Toronto

Total revenues over $1 million but below $10 million
• The Lifesaving Society (Ontario Branch)

Total Revenues of under $1 million
• Sarnia Lambton Rebound – A Program for Youth

Covenant House Toronto, the United Way of Greater Toronto and Sarnia Lambton Rebound are all repeat winners having won their category in 2008 as well.

“In 2008, the Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards (VSRAs) program was launched by CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance with an eye towards promoting timely and accurate financial statements,” said Steve Salterio, Director of the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance. “If this type of award can help charities show current and potential supporters that they practice assessable, clear and transparent reporting about how they handle their resources and fulfill their mandates, then only good things can happen.”

The awards recognize best practices for financial reporting by registered charities that produce annual reports in Ontario. Their annual reports are rated for availability, clarity, user friendliness, accessibility and impact. Organizations competed in categories based on revenue size with the winner in each category receiving $5,000 and recognition as leaders in the field.

“Many of our members either work for or volunteer with not-for-profits,” said Brian Leader, FCA, Acting Co-President and CEO and Vice-President of Learning at the Institute. “We believe this type of competition can motivate the entire sector to continually raise the bar for financial reporting and help them accomplish the many wonderful things they do in communities across Ontario.”

- 30 -

For more information, please contact:
Lisa Brophy-Gervais
Queen’s School of Business
613.533.2269
lbg@business.queensu.ca

Perry Jensen
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
416-969-4271 or 1-800-387-0735 ext. 271
pjensen@icao.on.ca

Carolyn Forest
PricewaterhouseCoopers
416-814-5730
carolyn.forest@ca.pwc.com

About the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance at Queen’s School of Business
CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance goal is to raise the bar on Canadian governance research and convey that research’s implications to fellow academics, students and the public at large. Situated at Queen’s School of Business, one of the world’s premier business schools, the Centre conducts cutting edge basic and applied research on corporate governance issues dealing with such issues as fraud prevention through better internal control and improving Canadian securities regulation. The Centre is also actively involved in the not for profit sector through the associated Fundamental of Governance for Boards of municipal, provincial and federal agencies, and not-for-profit organizations executive development course, case writing, applied research and now the Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards.

About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario:
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario’s more than 33,000 CAs and 5,000 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession’s internationally recognized standards of qualification and conduct. A wide range of organizations and individuals count on Ontario CAs to provide trustworthy and strategic insight, business leadership and financial guidance. The Institute’s website is: http://www.icao.on.ca/and the student website is www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
The PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada Foundation was established in 2004 and its mission is to make a positive, lasting change in our communities through the sharing of our time, expertise and resources. Through the Foundation, the firm encourages, supports and recognizes the sustained volunteer involvement of our staff and partners in the community. To learn more, visit http://www.pwc.com/ca/en/foundation/index.jhtml.

PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 155,000 people in 153 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. In Canada, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and its related entities have more than 5,200 partners and staff in offices across the country.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, or, as the context requires, the PricewaterhouseCoopers global network or other member firms of the network, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

The Toronto Consulting Club at Queen’s School of Business has enjoyed a successful first year bringing together Toronto alumni and MBA students interested in the consulting field. Founder, Monica Porteanu, Cornell-Queen’s MBA’08, worked with fellow alumni Nadia Nzabi, AMBA’09, Raluca Petrut, AMBA’09, and Diana Campoli, EMBA’09, to organize a series of events last fall with speakers from top consulting firms, including AT Kearney, the Boston Consulting Group, Capgemini, PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada, and Secor Group.

More recent events have focused on current market conditions, with topics such as ‘Consulting during a Recession’, a panel discussion led by Prof. Douglas Reid. This past month the Toronto Consulting Club partnered with Deloitte for a roundtable event on ‘Perspectives on Consulting’ that included Deloitte Partners Gord Sandford and Tim Christmann. For more information or to get involved, contact torontoconsultingclub@queensbusiness.ca.

(l to r): Nexen representative Brittney Price, winning MBA team members Roger Paterson, Sooyen Ahn, Sal Thomas, Kiran Manjunath, Dr. Tina Dacin and Nexen representative Darcie Park

Business ethics and corporate social responsibility took centre stage at the 5^th CSR Weekend presented by the Centre for Responsible Leadership from October 29-31. The annual QSB event, held at Goodes Hall, is designed to expose Commerce students to the issues and strategies behind socially responsible decision-making with a unique curriculum delivered through lectures, simulation exercises and a several case competitions. An exciting addition to this year’s event was the 1st Annual MBA Case Competition & CSR Day.

The weekend began with opening remarks from Dr. Tina Dacin, Director of the Centre for Responsible Leadership, and featured a keynote address from Chuck Gallagher, a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and corporate executive who was convicted of tax evasion and embezzlement. Mr. Gallagher’s powerful address touched on the difficult consequences resulting from his personal choices and the ramifications of unethical behaviour in the workplace.

The judging panel for the case competitions was comprised of industry representatives from companies such as Molson and Nexen, both leaders in the corporate social responsibility movement and event sponsors, Telus, Grand & Toy, Tim Horton’s Inc. and the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area.

Judge Paul Klein, president of Impakt Corporation, a Toronto-based company that helps corporations increase the returns on their community investments, noted on his blog on canadianbusiness.com:  “The judges were very impressed by the degree to which the teams understood the still-emerging discipline of corporate social responsibility, recognized the challenges for corporations with oil sands operations, and had developed creative approaches to help mitigate environmental impact and maximize business value.”

Queen’s Commerce students have the option to earn a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility during their four years of study. Full participation in three annual CSR weekend events is one key component needed to earn the certificate.

The CSR Weekend closed with the much anticipated announcement of the case competition winning teams, who received donations ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 for their charity of choice courtesy of event sponsor Nexen. A total of $13,000 was given to ten charities.

To read more about the CSR weekend, visit Commerce student Sheila Pan’s blog posting.

More than $1.75 million awarded to aspiring business and community leaders in the past ten years

STELLARTON, NS – Six first-year students from Atlantic Canada have been awarded the prestigious D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship as they begin their studies at Queen’s School of Business. Since its inception in 1999, the D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship has awarded more than $1.75 million to 56 students from the Atlantic Provinces.

Established by Donald and Rob Sobey, both graduates of Queen’s University, the scholarship is valued at $60,000 per student over four years, and recognizes students who are proven leaders in their schools and communities. In addition to academic excellence, this year’s recipients demonstrate exceptional skills and abilities in athletics, music, theatre, student government and volunteering.

“It means a great deal to recognize outstanding Atlantic Canadian students for their hard-work, and for the example they set for their peers as both academic and community leaders,” said Rob Sobey. “As these students enjoy all of the experiences that attending university has to offer, it is our hope that they keep an eye to the exciting and ever-evolving business dynamic here in Atlantic Canada, and consider returning some day to forge career opportunities of their own.”

The 2009 D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship recipients are:

Ben Jain – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Charlotte MacDonald – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Timothy D.A. Upson – Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Ben Keefe – Cleveland, Nova Scotia
Curtis Thompson – Riverview, New Brunswick
Chelsea Broderick – Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

“As Queen’s celebrates the 90th anniversary of Canada’s first undergraduate business program this year, the creation of the Sobey Scholarship a decade ago stands out as a key milestone in our journey,” said David Saunders, Dean of Queen’s School of Business. “Scholarships help us recruit the most promising future leaders, and Don and Rob Sobey’s unwavering support has enabled us to invest in the future success of many Queen’s School of Business students.”

About the D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship

Students from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador applying to their first-year of the Commerce program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, can be considered for the D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship. Recipients must achieve a 75 per cent academic average in their first year and 80 per cent average in subsequent years on a full course load.

Application deadline for the 2010 D&R Sobey Atlantic Scholarship is December 1, 2009. Applications are available through school guidance counselors, and interested students can learn more online at: http://www.queensu.ca/registrar/awards/toolbox/EntAwardsApp.htm.

About Queen’s School of Business:
Queen’s School of Business is one of the world’s premier business schools — renowned for exceptional programs, outstanding faculty and research, and the quality of its graduates. Canadian executives regard Queen’s as Canada’s most innovative business school, offering students academic excellence and a superior overall experience. Queen’s School of Business — where Canada’s first Commerce program was launched in 1919 — is located at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The School also delivers programs at locations across Canada, as well in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.

– 30 –

To request a photo or arrange an interview, please contact:

Shauna Turple
902.752.8371 ext. 8118

Lisa Brophy-Gervais, Queen’s School of Business
613.533.2269
lbg@business.queensu.ca

Three QSB programs now ranked #1 in Canada by influential business magazine

KINGSTON, ON – Queen’s School of Business is among the top business schools internationally for both executive MBA programs (#25) and open enrollment executive education (#19), according to BusinessWeek magazine’s 2009 rankings. Queen’s was the only Canadian business school to make either of the magazine’s rankings this year. Queen’s has topped BusinessWeek’s last three bi-annual rankings of full-time MBA program outside the US.

“While it has always been our approach to focus on excellence, not rankings, third-party validation from a respected source like BusinessWeek is very encouraging, and helpful in attracting the best students, faculty members and corporate recruiters to Queen’s School of Business,” said David Saunders, Dean.  “Focusing on academic excellence and exceptional student experience has proven to be a winning formula, and we will continue on this course.”

BusinessWeek’s 2009 executive MBA rankings are based on surveys of 5,056 members of the 2009 graduating class at 83 programs, and a poll of 83 EMBA program directors. Combined with student surveys from 2005 and 2007, students were surveyed on various measures, including teaching quality, career services, and curriculum.

The magazine’s 2009 executive education rankings are based on the results of online surveys received from managers and human resources directors from 188 companies.

The complete results of BusinessWeek’s 2009 business school rankings are now available online at www.businessweek.com and will be published in the magazine’s next issue.

About Queen’s School of Business:
Queen’s School of Business is one of the world’s premier business schools — renowned for exceptional programs, outstanding faculty and research, and the quality of its graduates.  Canadian executives regard Queen’s as Canada’s most innovative business school, offering students academic excellence and a superior overall experience.  Queen’s School of Business — where Canada’s first Commerce program was launched in 1919 — is located at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.  The School also delivers programs at locations across Canada, as well in the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates.

– 30 –

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Amber Wallace

Queen’s School of Business

awallace@business.queensu.ca

613.533.3151