Lazaridis School receives $500,000 donation from CI Financial

A $500,000 donation from CI Financial to Laurier's Lazaridis School of Business and Economics will support the school's finance program and establish the CI Financial Finance Lab, which will provide students hands-on experience in securities analysis.

"We are pleased to partner with Laurier on its exciting vision for preparing Canada’s next generation of financial managers," said Neal Kerr, president of CI Institutional Asset Management and executive vice-president of CI Investments Inc. “The Lazaridis School of Business and Economics offers an outstanding education in finance for its students."

Since its inception in 1965, CI Financial has grown to become one of Canada’s largest investment companies, offering global asset management and wealth management advisory services to more than two million Canadians. The company's donation is a part of Laurier’s Building Canada’s Best Business School fundraising campaign, designed to support student scholarships, help retain and recruit top faculty and strengthen the Lazaridis School’s pioneering programming.

“This investment from CI Financial will further advance our university’s ability to provide premiere education in finance and make important contributions to its field of research,” said Lazaridis School Dean Micheál J. Kelly. “With this support, we will continue to attract and retain the top finance students and faculty.”