LONDON, ON, Sept. 4 /CNW/ - The Scotiabank Group today announced a
$1.9 million donation to the Richard Ivey School of Business to fund
scholarships for MBA and undergraduate business students. The Scotiabank
Leadership Awards will create an endowment that offers two scholarships to
exemplary students on an annual basis.
    "The Scotiabank Leadership Awards will serve as key recruiting tools,
enabling Richard Ivey School of Business to continue to grow and strengthen a
curriculum that is already among the best in the world," said Sylvia
Chrominska, Executive Vice-President, Human Resources and Public, Corporate
and Government Affairs, Scotiabank. "At Scotiabank, we are particularly
interested in investing in educational institutions that help students acquire
the skills, tools and information they need to become leaders in a global
economy."
    The Scotiabank Group and Richard Ivey School of Business have a
longstanding relationship that involves philanthropy, student recruitment and
Executive education. Sylvia Chrominska graduated from Ivey and joined the Bank
in 1979 as a Credit Analyst, working her way up to the Bank's senior executive
ranks.
    "This outstanding gift from Scotiabank supports students with talent,
drive and commitment and ensures that financial need is not a barrier to
success," said Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard Ivey School of Business. "I am
extremely proud of the multifaceted relationship that Ivey shares with
Scotiabank."
    This year's Scotiabank HBA Leadership Continuing Award recipient is Dan
Annie Zhu. She has achieved academic excellence during her first two years at
Western and has demonstrated her commitment to London's Chinese community by
spearheading several fundraising initiatives for the local Heart & Stroke
Foundation.
    The Scotiabank MBA Leadership Award was presented to Jennifer Mitchell of
Vancouver, who spent a summer in Bolivia working on a housing development
project in a rural community while completing her civil engineering degree.
    "I want my career to have an impact that extends beyond the borders of
the construction site," said Mitchell. "I have selected to pursue a career in
the land development industry that provides sustainable and appropriate
housing solutions for people to live the lives that they choose."
    Each year, Scotiabank plays a pivotal role in Ivey students' educational
experience through the Bank's extensive recruiting practices, Scotiabank
Student Awards and through the support of the Scotiabank International Case
Competition. The Case Competition brings students from around the world to
Ivey to go head-to-head on some of the toughest business cases.

    The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario
(www.ivey.uwo.ca) offers full-time undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Ivey has campuses in London (Ontario), Toronto, and Hong Kong, where it was
the first North American business school to establish a permanent campus in
Hong Kong.

    Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live
and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally
and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic
activities, in 2006 the Bank provided more than $42 million in sponsorships
and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas
of healthcare, education, social services and arts and culture. Scotiabank is
on the World Wide Web at www.scotiabank.com.