When Mr. Michel-Charles Tadros (MA’71, BEd’71, MPA’75) left Egypt to attend Dalhousie in September 1968, he knew nobody in Halifax. As the laws of Egypt  at the time prevented  any transfer of money , he arrived with $5 American in his wallet and arrangements to meet Dr. Denis Stairs from the Department of Political Science at Dalhousie.

Dr. Stairs, who remains a friend today, helped Mr. Tadros settle into his residence room, where Mr. Tadros hung a poster of a man whose brilliance and political philosophies he admired greatly on the wall: Canada’s then prime minister, Pierre Trudeau.

Because his mother was Swiss Francophone, Mr. Tadros’s native language is French. Being also fluent in English, Canada’s bilingual status attracted him. But the decision around choosing a university where he could do an MA in history and politics came down to practicalities; he had to choose that which offered him the biggest scholarship. It was Dalhousie. After graduating, he’d grown so fond of Canada he opted to stay.

“My father was a proud Egyptian. When I told him that I wanted to stay in Canada, he quoted a Latin proverb that loosely translates to, ‘Wherever you are happy, that is your country.’ For me that is Canada,” says Mr. Tadros.

Mr. Tadros joined Canada’s federal civil service in 1975 and had a fulfilling 34-year career there until he retired in 2009. He worked as a strategic planner, and says he called upon his Dalhousie education and understanding of economics, sociology, history, politics and current affairs daily to prepare for the future.

“Everyone is mortal. At some point, we have to leave the scene. I have to do something with what I have. Dalhousie and Canada have given me a great opportunity and I want to return that as much as possible.”

Three years ago, Mr. Tadros, who has no dependants, began making end-of-life arrangements.

He proposed a Political Science graduate scholarship at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences for both foreign students and Canadian students. “I think it’s appropriate that both be exposed to political science and a good learning experience. It will be a reflection of me.”