KEVIN MENZ
Associate News Editor

On Oct. 29, the U of S hosted a pep rally to honour PotashCorp’s more than $10 million worth of donations to the university over the past 30 years.

“Ten million reasons to cheer” saw about 100 people crammed into the Edward’s School of Business reading room for what was the equivalent of a high-school pep rally. Flashing lights, a jock-jams-esque soundtrack, pompoms, banger sticks (those air-filled noise makers), football players and Howler the mascot opened the festivities and welcomed PotashCorp CEO Bill Doyle into a sea of high-fives and fist bumps.

PotashCorp has helped establish scholarships in business and engineering and has provided funds for numerous construction projects throughout campus including the new College of Law building and the PotashCorp Centre, which opened on June 5, 2000.

Huskies quarterback Laurence Nixon, who admitted that upon moving to Saskatoon from Vancouver, he had not heard of PotashCorp, highlighted one of PotashCorp’s most significant donations: the donations that made the Griffiths Stadium renovations possible.

“A veteran player took me aside and explained to me that PotashCorp was going to be committing $5 million to building the permanent bleachers on the east side of the stadium as well as, unquestionably, the best field turf in all of Canada,” said Nixon. “That donation allowed Saskatoon to hold the PotashCorp Vanier Cup,” and saw the naming of PotashCorp Park to thank the company for their donation.

Doyle noted the pride that PotashCorp has with their name being acknowledged on two campus buildings.

“We are proud to have our name on this building — the PotashCorp Centre at the Edwards School of Business — and on PotashCorp Park, where I know a big part of our community is going to spend the evening rooting for the Huskies.”

It was this $5 million to renovate Griffiths Stadium that put PotashCorp over the $10 million mark in terms of donations to the university. That donation was made five years ago and raised the question as to why a pep rally was held now instead of earlier.

“The university picked this date out a long, long time ago and we’re here to celebrate the occasion,” said Doyle, implying that this celebration was only held coincidentally during the BHP Billiton hostile takeover controversy.

The StarPhoenix reported, however, that U of S president Peter MacKinnon said holding the celebration now, during PotashCorp’s potential takeover, will draw attention to the donations the company has made and may attract more major donors.

In his remarks to the audience, Doyle thanked the university and outlined the relationship between PotashCorp and the U of S.

“Many of the people who make our company a success were educated at the University of Saskatchewan: from our board of directors to our management team to the frontline people who push our company ahead, everyday,” said Doyle. “The province of Saskatchewan is our home, Saskatoon will always remain our headquarters and, as part of that, the University of Saskatchewan will always be an integral part of our success [and it] is one of the community organizations that we believe in supporting.”

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image: Flickr