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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

Herman Kassinger's impact lives on through his foundation

The late Herman Kassinger, a renowned land developer, understood the importance of giving others a helping hand. His insight was personal; he arrived in Canada in 1952 with $30 in his pocket and dreams of opportunities unavailable in post-Second World War Germany. As he built his empire, he donated generously to causes in Oshawa and Durham Region as a way of giving back to the communities that afforded him these opportunities.

Today, the Herman Kassinger Foundation continues these philanthropic endeavours on Herman’s behalf, and includes Ontario Tech as one of the regular beneficiaries of its generosity. In 2003, the foundation established six financial awards for undergraduate students, and in 2021, it contributed to the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) program at Ontario Tech.

“During Herman’s lifetime, he contributed generously to Ontario Tech and we are continuing his legacy,” says G. Charles S. Morison, an Oshawa lawyer who is one of the foundation’s directors. “When we looked at the different programs we could fund, we discovered there was a gap in available funding for qualified graduate students who had financial impediments and it seemed like a good idea to make a donation to support the Ontario Graduate Scholarship program.”

The OGS program encourages excellence in graduate studies at publicly assisted universities in Ontario. The program provides qualified graduate students with scholarships of $15,000 annually, a portion of which is donor funded. In addition, the foundation also contributed to the construction of Shawenjigewining Hall, the university’s newest building, and home to the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech Student Union and the Office of Student Life, as well as classrooms, conference spaces and meeting places. One of the building’s meeting spaces will bear a commemorative plaque in honour of the foundation’s support. 

“We want to make sure that there’s an impact from our gifts, so we do our due diligence,” says Charles. “We’d like to think Herman would be gratified to know what his contributions were supporting. He was very proud of Oshawa, having built much of it, and was very proud of his contributions to his community."

Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient and Master of Applied Bioscience student, Urvi Pajankar (centre) with the Herman Kassinger Foundation’s Directors, Chris Roberts (left) and G. Charles S. Morison (right).Ontario Graduate Scholarship recipient and Master of Applied Bioscience student, Urvi Pajankar (centre) with the Herman Kassinger Foundation’s Directors, Chris Roberts (left) and G. Charles S. Morison (right).

 

Read the 2021 Report on Donor Philanthropy