It all started on November 18, 2016 when a small group gathered at the Magna Golf Club in Aurora, Ontario. Jay Michela, director of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program, wanted to know how to attract the best students to a program that was once the only game in town, but now competed with many other I/O programs across the country.
It was clear that whatever approach was taken, the gathered former students of Professor Emerita Pat Rowe wanted the strategy to recognize and honour their mentor for all she had done – and continues to do – for the field of I/O Psychology.
The idea gained momentum during the University of Waterloo’s 60th anniversary last year, which provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate those groundbreaking leaders who had made significant contributions to UWaterloo, their fields of study, and the success of their students. Almost forty years ago, Professor Pat Rowe founded one of Canada’s original graduate programs in I/O Psychology. She mentored over 75 graduate students – more than any other I/O Psychology professor in the country. Many of her former students went on to successful careers, becoming the who’s who of I/O Psychology in Canada.
Pat was deeply committed to her students and to sharing their scholarship for strong and successful societies in Canada. The relationship goes beyond the classroom — whether celebrating milestones, or opening doors through her professional network, Pat continues to care about her former students, and the affection is mutual. Professor Derek Chapman, PhD ‘00, now teaches I/O Psychology at the University of Calgary. He wrote, “thank you for all your support and wisdom during my time at Waterloo. If it wasn’t for you, I would never have had the courage to quit my job and remain in grad school for a PhD and ultimately become a professor.”
Once the idea to establish an award in her honour was settled, it didn’t take long to raise the $50,000 needed to establish a graduate scholarship. In fact, now more than $100,000 has been raised towards the $200,000 goal, a testament to how beloved Pat is by so many people. David Tucker, PhD ‘79, was the first donor to the scholarship. Along with his generous gift, he wrote,
“Dr. Pat Rowe has been a major influence in my life, and I will always be grateful for her guidance and inspiration."
James W. Miller, PhD ‘68, was Pat’s first PhD student who went on to found a successful consulting business. He said he was happy to contribute to the scholarship because he would never have been able to go to university without financial support.
Pat has a similar reason for contributing to the award. “It was my husband, Phil Bryden, who persuaded me that our charitable donations should be directed to student support,” says Pat. “Phil was orphaned when he was 11 years old, but because of scholarships, bursaries, and employment by the schools, he was able to attend an elite high school and MIT for university. Phil convinced me that neither one of us would have been able to become the people we were without benefit of scholarships, and therefore we should contribute to them. He did contribute, even when he had little money to spare, and after his death more than 20 years ago, many contributed to the Psychology Memorial Fund in his name.”
The Pat Rowe I/O Psychology Graduate Scholarship honours and continues Pat’s tradition of caring, helping to attract strong students to the University of Waterloo, and connecting them to an impressive network of alumni and philanthropists. One day they might also be inspired to pay it forward, contributing to a continuous cycle of altruism that helps students achieve their academic and personal goals.
