A first-of-its-kind $1 million gift from an anonymous member of McMaster's Hong Kong alumni community will fund the University's new Chair in Aging and Chinese Culture in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Understanding the role of culture and ethnicity in aging issues has become increasingly important in our multicultural society. The gift will support an expert who, over a period of seven years, will research and teach the cultural aspects of aging and the role of the elderly in China.

It is the first time an alumni member from China has designated a gift of this size.

"We're building a very strong network of alumni in China and Hong Kong who are enthusiastic supporters of the University," said McMaster President Peter George, who recently spent 12 days in China meeting with University alumni and finalizing this gift.

"We recruit a significant number of students from China and it's important that they continue to feel connected to McMaster after they graduate."

McMaster has long been recognized as a national leader in aging studies. The Faculty of Social Sciences was the first in the country to offer an undergraduate degree in gerontology and the University's renowned Centre for Gerontological Studies fosters research and education in aging on a University-wide basis.

In 2007 McMaster established the Raymond and Margaret Labarge Chair in Research and Knowledge Application for Optimal Aging and more recently established the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging and the Gilbrea Chair in Aging and Mental Health.

The new Chair in Aging and Chinese Culture will be a perfect fit for McMaster, which earlier this year was named the site of the 20-year, $30 million Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

The chair's work will further our understanding of the unique challenges in meeting the needs of the elderly in specific cultural settings. The chairholder will lead new research and outreach activities that will benefit individuals, families and communities locally, nationally and internationally. Areas of focus include developing strategies for dealing with issues of aging, developing "best practices" for seniors' centres in China and Canada that will benefit the elderly in both countries, and addressing the concept of "aging in a foreign land".