John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship established
John C. Eaton and Sally Horsfall Eaton. With their support, Ryerson has established a new chair that will create opportunities for students to use social innovation and entrepreneurship to address social challenges facing youth.
Ryerson University has established a new chair in social innovation and entrepreneurship, thanks in part to a $1-million gift from John C. Eaton and his wife Sally Horsfall Eaton.
"The John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship truly reflects the uniqueness of Ryerson University as an innovative, urban university with a strong commitment to our community's health and well-being," said President Sheldon Levy.
Housed in the Faculty of Community Services' School of Child and Youth Care, the chair will create opportunities for students to apply social innovation and entrepreneurial skills to address social challenges facing today's youth, especially those who are marginalized. By collaborating with the university's Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM), the chair will also have the foundational support to develop and expand an interdisciplinary program that is based on social innovation and entrepreneurship.
"John and Sally's generosity as volunteers and loyal donors is a testament to their abiding belief in Ryerson's mission to address societal good," said Adam B. Kahan, vice-president, university advancement. "We are deeply grateful for their support."
For the Eatons, the creation of the chair is a fitting complement to their successful professions in retailing, social services and healthcare. "This chair reflects a merger of our two careers and our belief that one can combine the principles of business and entrepreneurship to creatively address many social issues," they said.
"Thanks to the Eatons' tremendous support, this chair will give our students unmatched opportunities to collaborate with their fellow TRSM classmates and develop socially innovative approaches to help improve the lives of Canada's vulnerable youth," said Dean Usha George, Faculty of Community Services.
The Eaton family's strong bonds with Ryerson go back a long way. The Eaton Chair in Retailing was established in 1994 to foster retail research excellence in Canada. In 2002, the university opened the Sally Horsfall Eaton Centre for Studies in Community Health, made possible by a $1.5-million gift from John Eaton in honour of his wife's lifelong commitment to health and education issues. John Eaton served as the university's chancellor from 1999 to 2006. In recognition of his dedication to Ryerson, the Eaton garden was unveiled in 2006 to mark the end of his seven-year term.
The John C. Eaton Chair in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship will be established as an endowed position over the next five years. A search committee will be created to select the chairholder.