Growing as a Canada-wide Foundation

Representation from All Parts of Canada - We are making progress in involving more Members from more Sections in the activities of the foundation. Over the past three years the percentage of Sections with foundation members has climbed from 50% to 60% to 80% and will reach 95% if this year’s nominations committee recommendations are approved. I believe this opens the door to greater dialog with Sections and their Student Branches, and I hope we can explore mechanisms to take advantage of this opportunity.

Investment and Disbursement Policies - We are also making progress in managing our investments to be more attractive to potential donors. At our December 2006 meeting, our board decided to accept the recommendation of an ad-hoc investment policy review committee, chaired by Hugh Swain, to diversify our investments which were limited to no-risk bonds and GICs with the attendant low rate of return. The new policy includes blue chip stocks and income trusts. This represents the beginning of a careful evolution from the original investment concept, which was to preserve the original capital, to one which permits an increased return with very low risk. Given the investment term for each of our current investments, it will take time to fully transition these investments to reflect the new policy. Our investment advisor at BMO Nesbit Burns has been invited to attend this meeting to answer your questions. The AGM will be asked to approve this change in investment policy.

Our current spending model is to disburse all of the previous year’s income from investments and non-directed donations. Other than the fact that some awarded grants are not fully spent, this policy implies that we are not maintaining our reserves when inflation is taken into account. To be a successful foundation in the long term, we need to be able to fund our program of grants, preserve our financial base over time (including inflation), be attractive to donors, and grow our activities.

I mention two challenges for us. One - IEEE Canada has several new medals and we have an opportunity to fund these medals from directed donations. Two - Canadian IEEE Sections have awards programs and we have an opportunity to partner with them in seeking directed donations to fund these awards.

• Your president attends the IEEE Canada Board meetings to inform that board in general, and the Section chairs in particular, of the activities and capabilities of our foundation.

• Your treasurer, Luc Matteau, attends the annual IEEE Canada Student Branch workshops to provide information about our Scholarships and Grants and the process for successful application - directly to the Student Branch representatives who attend.

• Your student branch liaison chair (and IEEE Canada Student Activities chair), Janet Bradley provides additional interactions and information flow.

• IEEE Canadian Foundation Scholarship certificates are presented to Section chairs at the spring IEEE Canada meeting for subsequent local presentation to the recipients and the names of the recipients are published on the IEEE Canada Awards web site.

• I attended the Ryerson University Awards Ceremony and presented a foundation Scholarship and spoke briefly about our foundation.

We presently have two direct linkages;

• I am a director of the IEEE Foundation and serve on Project Review and Audit Committees.

• Wally Read is the chair of the Trustees of the IEEE History Center and an ex-officio member of the IEEE Foundation Board of Directors

• Additionally, IEEE receives a copy of the report that I present to IEEE Canada at the Spring Board meeting, and I intend to submit a copy of that report to the IEEE Foundation under their liaison reports.

• We have the pleasure of welcoming IEEE Foundation President Richard J. Gowen to this meeting – he will address us under liaison reports.

Several of our members have been recognized in a variety of ways:

• Wally Read received the EIC’s highest award at their March 2007 Awards Gala in Ottawa. Established in 1927 and awarded every other year to commemorate the great service rendered to engineering by Sir John Kennedy, a Past President of the EIC, this medal is the most distinguished award of the institute. It is awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the profession or for noteworthy contributions to the science of engineering or to the benefit of the Institute.

• Don Koval was inducted as a Fellow of the EIC at the same ceremony.

• Adam Skorek has been awarded the 2006 RAB Leadership Award.

I thank all my fellow members of the IEEE Canadian Foundation, the volunteer leadership of both IEEE Canada and the IEEE Foundation, for your dedicated volunteer efforts.

Sincerely,

Robert T.H. (Bob) Alden, Ph.D., P.Eng., F EIC, LF IEEE
President