Loran Scholars Foundation

Loran Scholars

The Loran Scholars Foundation selects approximately 30 students each year for an undergraduate scholarship valued at up to $100,000. It has been active since 1990.

The scholarship is tenable at 25 public universities throughout Canada; however, the lower level awards (provincial awards and finalist awards) can be used at any public Canadian university or college. Eighteen Loran Scholars have gone on to win Rhodes Scholarships. It consists of annual stipends, a matching tuition waiver, summer internship funding, and mentoring over four years of study.

Candidate selection

The Loran Scholar selection process is rigorous. The selection process is as follows:

Notable alumni

Since the award was established in 1990, the foundation has selected more than 570 Loran Scholars. Past Loran Scholars include Lucas Skoczkowski, founder and CEO of Redknee; Graham Fox, president and CEO of the Institute for Research on Public Policy; Diane Nalini de Kerckhove, a jazz musician and physicist; youth engagement leader and social justice advocate Michelle Dagnino; CPR assist device inventor Corey Centen; François Tanguay-Renaud, Director of York University's Jack & Mae Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security, and Associate Dean Research at Osgoode Hall Law School; Goldman Sachs managing director Lyle Schwartz; Thalmic Labs co-founder and CEO Stephen Lake; and Orpyx CEO Breanne Everett.

Awards

Several scholarships are awarded by the foundation.

Criteria

Loran Scholars are selected on the basis of character, service and leadership potential.

Financial value

Each Loran Scholar receives a scholarship valued at up to $100,000 over four years (assuming annual renewal during university). The scholarship has three main financial components:

Loran Scholars may study at the following universities in Canada:

Atlantic Canada: Dalhousie University, Memorial University, Mount Allison University, Université de Moncton, University of King's College, University of New Brunswick.

Québec: McGill University, Université Laval, Université de Montréal.

Ontario: McMaster University, Ryerson University, Queen's University, University of Guelph, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Western University, York University.

Prairies: University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan.

British Columbia: Simon Fraser University, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria.

Experiential value

A unique aspect of the Loran Award is the mentorship program, where each Loran Scholar is paired with a mentor who is a business or community leader. Current and former mentors include ACE Bakery founder Martin Connell, OC, O.Ont; Canadian senator Hon. Landon Pearson; former Ontario Premier Bob Rae; social entrepreneur Scott Gilmore; Second Cup co-founder Frank O'Dea; Dr. Alice Chan-Yip, C.M. of the Montreal Children's Hospital; TV host Lindsay Cameron Wilson; and McMaster professor Dr. Gary Warner.

Furthermore, the Loran Scholars Foundation offers funding (up to $8,500) for three summer internships:

Summer employers have included the World Health Organization, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNIDROIT, BMO Capital Markets, KPMG, Shannex, the Canadian Urban Institute, Frontier College, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Nunavut, Samaritan's Purse and several alumni-founded companies such as Redknee and Canopy Labs.

W. Garfield Weston Award

The Loran Scholars Foundation previously administered the W. Garfield Weston Award for outstanding college-bound students in Canada. Established in 1999 with the support of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, it awarded up to 25 scholarships to entering college students, and up to 25 scholarships to upper-year college students. The foundation selected its final class of W. Garfield Weston Scholars in 2012.