Four different University of Saskatchewan associations will benefit from a $5.9 million donation from alumni Ron and Jane Graham. The couple, who are the school’s largest cumulative donors ever announced the gift Friday morning.

The College of Education will receive $1 million dollars to support the Jane and Ron Graham Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. The centre was established in 2019 with a $1 million donation from the couple. The centre now offers the first graduate degree in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

$900,000 will be gifted to the College of Engineering. That donation will be used to support the development of the college’s newly launched RE-ENGINEERED program for first-year students. The program features redesigned course content and class rescheduling along with grading that prioritizes helping students gain key skills.

$3 million dollars will be spread out evenly between the Huskies football team and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams. With the gift, teams will be able to get new technology and equipment. In addition to scholarships, the donation will also help athletes explore different parts of the world through international competitions and sporting events.

Then the $1 million allocated for VIDO will help the establish the research organization as Canada’s Centre for Pandemic Research. This will include building a new animal housing facility and upgrades to key parts of the facility. This will then allow researchers to study not only all existing infectious diseases but emerging ones too.

USask President, Peter Stoicheff says “Their (Grahams) gifts elevate teaching, learning and the student experience at USask.”

Ron and Jane Graham have funded a number of other projects on campus including the addition of basketball training courts at Merlis Belsher Place and the expansion of the Graham Huskie Clubhouse located at Griffiths Stadium.