David and Ruth Steinberg with Claudia Biagioni, recipient of the Ruth and David Steinberg Faculty of Arts and Science Entrance Bursary, 2014
“We wanted to fund a project on a smaller level, but with great potential,” says David Steinberg. “Supporting tuition can be the right ingredient to get a student off to a great start on their path.”
The Steinbergs have long made philanthropy part of their life’s mission. The couple’s previous gifts to Concordia include an entrance scholarship in the Faculty of Arts and Science and a scholarship to send a student to Israel to learn Hebrew.
The couple’s attachment to Concordia stems in part from David Steinberg’s days as a student at Sir George Williams University, one of Concordia's founding institutions, in the 1960s.
“One of my first jobs after graduating was obtained thanks to a wonderful professor who taught a night class I attended. He was in charge of assistance and procedures for Expo 67 and took me under his wing as an assistant. It was really exciting to be part of something that would be so significant.”
Jill Didur, chair of Concordia’s Department of English, is most grateful for the Steinbergs’ gift.
“Students who undertake a graduate degree in English literature are hard-working and typically support themselves throughout their studies,” explains Didur. “Any financial assistance we can offer them is a major factor in their choice of where to study.”
Ruth Steinberg with Jill Didur, chair of Concordia’s Department of English, at the opening of the university’s Mordecai Richler Reading Room, 2013
David Steinberg, Sir George Williams University yearbook photo, 1966