[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/lornasomers2011.jpg” caption=”Lorna Somers, McMaster’s director of development and vice-president of the McMaster University Foundation, will be recognized Monday with the Frank L. Ashmore Award for Service for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education”]Lorna Somers remembers the moment she realized her field of work could have a
profound effect on the world.

She was working in development at McMaster and had recently co-authored a book on
planned giving for Canadians, at the time an emerging field of interest for organizations
such as universities, and was starting to receive requests to speak on the subject at
institutions around the world.

“I realized that while I would never develop a vaccine for malaria or figure out how to
supply water to impoverished populations, by working in development I'd be supporting
those who could.”

Though common practice in North America today, fundraising and development haven't
always been a part of what universities do. Support from alumni and friends, however, is
integral to the groundbreaking research performed at post-secondary institutions.

Somers has spent nearly 25 years working in University Advancement at McMaster and
currently serves as the University's director of development and vice-president of the
McMaster University Foundation. She says that although the field initially grew in the
United States, Canadian institutions – particularly McMaster – quickly became world
leaders.

“From the get-go McMaster has punched above its weight in this area,” said Somers,
“which gives us a real advantage in that we're able to offer many innovative programs
and support for those performing very high-end research.”

Somers will be honoured Monday at a ceremony in Chicago with an international award
recognizing her leadership in advancement. She is the 2011 recipient of the Frank L.
Ashmore Award for Service to the Council for the Advancement and Support of
Education (CASE) and the Advancement Profession. This is the first time the award will
be given to someone from outside the United States. The honouree is identified as an
exceptional volunteer, teacher and mentor in advancement.

“It's a tremendous honour to be recognized in this way,” said Somers, whose award
nominations came from Europe, Africa and Australia. “It's incredibly special to receive
such a distinguished award from your peers.”

“We're very proud of Lorna,” said Mary Williams, vice-president of University
Advancement at McMaster. “The recognition is well-deserved and her contributions to
McMaster and to advancement around the world are without equal. This award really
speaks to her accomplishments and commitment to integrity, quality and teamwork.”

Somers, a highly sought after speaker in university advancement circles, says that while
she enjoys presenting to senior academic leaders at post-secondary institutions the
world over, her ultimate goal is to empower them to perform the work on their own.
Doing so, she says, is the key to expanding the many opportunities such institutions
offer the world.

Her travels have also taught Somers about the differences between the advancement
and development work performed at other universities and that done at McMaster.

“We have a terrific team of people who genuinely care about McMaster,” she said. “In
many cases they're also graduates of the University. It's a very unique group of
professionals that does very good work for the University, and we should all be very
proud of that work.”