KPMG renews support of Accounting at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics

The KPMG Foundation has renewed its support of Accounting at the Wilfrid Laurier University Lazaridis School of Business and Economics with a gift of $250,000.

“We are deeply grateful for KPMG’s longstanding support for Laurier and the Lazaridis School,” said Kyle Murray, dean of the Lazaridis School. “Thanks to their donation, we’re advancing impactful research and preparing talented graduates in the field of accounting.”

The gift will fund three KPMG Foundation Fellowships in Accounting, KPMG Bootcamp and KPMG Day.

“We are proud to support the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics in the development of Laurier students, faculty and research that benefits the wider profession,” says Bobby Thompson, managing partner, KPMG Canada. “As a former instructor at the Lazaridis School, it’s exciting to be working again with this community.”

In 2012, the KPMG Foundation gave its first gift of $250,000 in support of the KPMG Foundation Fellowships in Accounting, KPMG Bootcamp and KPMG Day. In the years that followed, Fellows Leslie Berger, Ling Chu and Bruce McConomy, top Accounting professors and researchers at the Lazaridis School, produced innovative research in the field while mentoring students and engaging in academic service.

The KPMG Foundation Fellows play an active role in supporting KPMG Bootcamp. A popular annual event run by KPMG representatives, Bootcamp offers second-year students training in skills often required during co-op positions at accounting firms.

The Fellows also assist with KPMG Day, run by Laurier's Career Centre, which offers learning and networking opportunities to all third-year Lazaridis School undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in accounting.

“Donors like the KPMG Foundation make a significant difference in the quality of research and teaching at the Lazaridis School,” said Jason Coolman, Laurier’s vice-president, advancement and external relations. “We are grateful for their commitment to excellence and innovation in our students, researchers and the industry at large, and look forward to many more years of this high-impact relationship.”

KPMG has contributed to Laurier since the 1990s, with a total of more than $1 million in giving. This giving includes capital gifts toward the Career and Co-op Centre and the KPMG Lounge in the Schlegel Centre; support for multimedia classrooms and entrepreneurial incubator StartUp Lab (formerly LaunchPad); and student awards.