$2-million donation establishes Jarislowsky Chair in Central Banking at Western

Western University is poised to move to the forefront of central banking teaching and research in Canada, thanks to a recent generous donation from The Jarislowsky Foundation announced today.

The $2-million endowed gift, to be matched by Western, will establish the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Central Banking in the Department of Economics at the Faculty of Social Science, with the aim to encourage excellence in teaching, mentorship and research in areas essential to central bank policy and decision-making.

The Jarislowsky Foundation, based in Montreal, was founded by Canadian businessman and philanthropist Stephen Jarislowsky in 1991. Since then, it has established 29 chairs in Canada in a number of fields, including education, medicine and art.

“Our main aim and focus is excellence. We try to do things in areas which make people in our age think,” Jarislowsky said. “This chair was designed to make people think about central banking. Central bankers have achieved an enormous influence on the lives of all kinds of countries. I hope this chair will lead to better central bankers, better government and better handling of finance around the world. That is a big objective.”

Once selected, the chair will be involved in an original and innovative research program that will help shape central bank decision-making, said Bob Andersen, Dean in the Faculty of Social Science at Western.

“We are incredibly grateful to The Jarislowsky Foundation for this tremendous support and the opportunity to bring an internationally known and esteemed expert to our Western community. Establishing this Chair will allow Western to play a significant role in conducting top research on a wide range of central bank issues related to finance and economics.”

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Western’s Department of Economics (www.economics.uwo.ca) has a long-standing reputation as a leading research department in Canada, with major impact in the area of central banking. Through the years, the department has produced many graduates who have had successful careers at central banks throughout the world, including four of the top six positions at the Bank of Canada.

MEDIA CONTACT: Stephen Ledgley, Senior Media Relations Officer, 519-661-2111, ext. 85283, sledgley@uwo.ca

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ABOUT WESTERN ECONOMICS

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Western’s Department of Economics (www.economics.uwo.ca) has a long-standing reputation as a leading research and teaching department in Canada, with major impact in the areas of Economics of Education; Human Capital and Productivity; Economics of Behaviour; and Macroeconomics, Growth and Development. The department ranks among the Top Five programs in Canada and Top 100 in the world (QS World University Rankings), and continues to attract leading students and faculty from around the world.

 

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