The gift supports Victoria College’s Scholars-in-Residence program, aimed at providing research opportunities to undergraduate humanities students.

Posted on April 5, 2018

Bader Philanthropies, Inc., a Milwaukee-based foundation, has donated $1 million to support Victoria College’s Scholars-in-Residence program. This program increases the number of research opportunities available to undergraduates in the humanities and includes a unique opportunity to live at the College for a month during the summer.

“Victoria College is delighted that Bader Philanthropies, Inc., through the Isabel and Alfred Bader Fund, has come forward to support the Scholars-in-Residence program,” says William Robins, president of Victoria University. “Such a generous donation will ensure that this ground-breaking program thrives.”

Victoria College’s Scholars-in-Residence program received 1,000 applications for 50 openings

The Scholars-in-Residence program began in 2016 as a collaboration between Victoria College and the Jackman Humanities Institute at the University of Toronto. In 2017, the program received 1,000 applications for its 50 openings, underlining the critical need for this type of research opportunity for undergraduates in the humanities.

We recognize the importance of creating traditional and unconventional experiences that open one’s mind to explore what is possible in the world

The Bader Endowment for the Scholars-in-Residence program will provide funding for the residency and co-curricular components of the program. The endowed support offered by the Bader Endowment also guarantees the program’s ongoing growth and success while maintaining the highest standards of creative inquiry and engaged learning.

The Scholars-in-Residence program is designed for upper-year undergraduates and promotes interdisciplinary humanities and social-science research in a small group, collaborative setting. Participants engage in faculty-led research, receive hands-on instruction in research techniques and methodology, and participate in multidisciplinary workshops.

The Bader family has a long tradition of supporting Victoria College. The Isabel Bader Theatre honours alumna Isabel Bader, whose extraordinary support has funded numerous scholarships and bursaries to hundreds of Victoria College students over the years.

“Isabel and my father recognize the importance of creating traditional and unconventional experiences that open one’s mind to explore what is possible in the world,” said Daniel J. Bader, president and CEO of Bader Philanthropies. “The Scholars-in-Residence program, which spurs intellectual curiosity, complements the bricks and mortar that bear our family’s name.”