“Innis Was My Oasis”

The Weisdorf family – Mark, Lorraine and their two daughters – recently made a pledge to fund scholarships at Innis College and, additionally, to match all new gifts toward the renewal of Innis Town Hall, up to $50,000. Mark (BCom 1979), who works at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York City, says his inspiration for the gift harks back to his own experience at Innis, and his desire to help today’s students who may require financial assistance in order to attend U of T, as he did.

Mark: “My family and I immigrated to Canada from Poland, and my experience at U of T was transformational in providing me the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills, leadership abilities and a creative, multidisciplinary approach to my work. This put me on a journey to one of largest financial service organizations in the world.

“I took no courses at Innis College, but my involvement in university life was centred there. Innis was my oasis in a very large organization. I really care about it. I didn’t choose a career in programs offered by Innis, such as cinema, urban or environmental studies, but these humanistic subjects resonated with me.

“Innis Town Hall is used by the U of T community and the surrounding citizenry for events. With Innis’s 50th anniversary this year, it struck me that it would be wonderful to be supportive of the Town Hall – the heart of the Innis community – and to boost the scholarship funds available to students who, as I was, may be in need of financial assistance to attend U of T. I respond well to incentives, and I hope the matching program will motivate others to support these initiatives as well.”

Watch a video about the Innis Town Hall revitalization