University of Waterloo alumni Frank Baylis (BASc '86) and Valerie Baylis (BA '86) visited campus to announce the Gloria Baylis Foundation's philanthropic contribution of $20 million to the Faculty of Engineering.
The gift honours former Waterloo Engineering dean, the late Dr. Pearl Sullivan, who prioritized students' educational experiences with indomitable energy. Under Sullivan's leadership, the Faculty's flagship building, Engineering 7, was built to give students and researchers greater access to leading technologies, labs, experiential learning hubs, workspaces and more.
With gratitude to the Gloria Baylis Foundation, the Faculty is proud to announce the renaming of Engineering 7 to the Pearl Sullivan Engineering Building.
Gloria Baylis, a nurse, entrepreneur and civil rights advocate, founded Baylis Medical, a Canadian company known for its health-care innovations. Her son Frank Baylis, co-executive chairman of the board at Baylis Medical Technologies and president of the Gloria Baylis Foundation, and his wife Valerie Baylis, director of the Gloria Baylis Foundation, established the foundation in Gloria's name to continue her work in support of community-focused education and health-care initiatives.
"Like my mother Gloria, Pearl's drive and vision expanded opportunities for people to realize their potential," Frank says. "Pearl's career and achievements deserve celebration, and this space is a testament to her work in advancing education."
Waterloo Engineering dean Dr. Mary Wells remembers Sullivan with admiration and affection.
"Pearl was a force of nature," Wells says. "She was laser focused on making Waterloo Engineering the best not just in Canada but the world. She was an empathetic leader, a passionate educator and a bold dean who made things happen quickly and decisively. Engineering 7 is thanks to Pearl; she even chose the colour of the stairs red, the colour of prosperity in her culture. It was always Pearl's building and now it's official. I am grateful to the Gloria Baylis Foundation for honouring her incredible legacy this way, it means so much to me and to our community."
"When I think of my mom as a dean at Waterloo, I think of someone who was in their element."
Michael Sullivan, Pearl Sullivan's son
The gift extends to supporting the Waterloo at 100 vision the University's mission to focus its work on addressing the wicked problems facing the world through innovative research and interdisciplinary education by its 100th anniversary in 2057.
One of society's biggest challenges is transforming health care so that more people can access and receive better services. Advanced technologies and engineering innovations are essential to making health care work better for everyone. In recognition of this, an initial impact of the gift will support the Faculty in establishing a prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Health Engineering and Technology with recruitment for the position currently underway.
"Waterloo is constantly evolving to remain ahead of its peers," Valerie says. "Our goal with this gift is to support the University's culture of embracing positive change and its drive to make a real impact in the world. This aligns perfectly with the Gloria Baylis Foundation's goals for improved access to better health care and education for all."
Valerie and Frank met during their Waterloo student days. Frank and his business partner of more than 40 years, Kris Shah (BASc '86), co-executive chairman of the board at Baylis Medical Technologies, met on their first Waterloo co-op work term as electrical engineering students.
"Two of my most important and life-changing partnerships were forged at Waterloo," Frank says. "The University also encouraged my interest in entrepreneurship; it excels in that area. And we, including Kris, have daughters who studied engineering at Waterloo. The place and its people gave me an incredible foundation to build from, and we want to ensure that by investing in the future of education, such opportunities remain available and accessible to as many talented people as possible."
The gift goes beyond Waterloo, highlighting, as Frank points out, the role philanthropic foundations can play in maintaining and advancing higher education as a cornerstone of a prosperous society.
Dr. Vivek Goel, University of Waterloo president, agrees, saying "Philanthropy challenges us to do more, helping us drive impactful change within the University, our broader community and beyond. Thank you to the Gloria Baylis Foundation for investing in education, in Canada and the world's future, simultaneously honouring two extraordinary, trailblazing leaders Dr. Pearl Sullivan and Gloria Baylis."
Watch this moving tribute to former dean Pearl Sullivan and meet her grandson Dean who was named after her.
