By Mark Campbell

There are two things you should know about Eric Aldous (BComm’99). One is that he believes we should all give back to our communities. The other is that he greatly values the power of education to change lives.

“Providing people with the opportunity to learn and grow is extremely important to me,” says the Global Head of Futures and Derivatives Clearing with RBC Capital Markets in New York. “I think Dalhousie, particularly its business school, provides a great platform for growth and I want to help the university maintain that opportunity any way I can.”

The Dalhousie alumnus and his wife, Janet (née McGregor-Shaw) (BComm’99), recently established the Aldous Bachelor of Commerce Bursary to achieve that goal. Funded in part by fees he receives for his service as a board member of the NASDAQ Futures Exchange’s board of directors, the bursary delivers financial assistance to first-year commerce students who otherwise might not be able to afford a post-secondary education.

“We felt that giving students support upfront, they won’t be distracted by the costs and can focus on getting all the benefits out of Dalhousie’s exceptional commerce program, just as we did.”

The right foundation

Perhaps the biggest benefit for the Toronto-born Aldous was an immediate first-year entry into a co-op program, something few universities offered at the time.

“It was a great foundation for building a successful career, because you could take what you were learning and start applying it right away in the business world. Combining that foundation and the desire to keep learning, which Dalhousie fosters in its students, helped me get where I am.”

All the more reason, says Aldous, to help the next generation of Dalhousie students to get where they’re going. In that light, he’d love to grow the fund so that it supports students through all four years of studies. He also hopes the bursary will inspire recipients to start a similar fund one day.

“We would be satisfied just helping students complete the program, but it would also be great if we can encourage them to give back to Dalhousie and change someone’s life.”