Slaight Family Scholarship Brings in the Best

Any fan of Bruce Cockburn ’65 or Diana Krall ’83 knows that Berklee has long helped incubate Canadian stars. But until recently, the college didn’t focus on mining talent from its neighbor to the north. But in 2008, that changed when Berklee trustee Gary Slaight established the Slaight Family Scholarship, which spurred the college to create new relationships and bring new talent to Berklee.

An industry mover and shaker, Slaight has been honored in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He created the Canadian Music Industry Awards and has been the driving force behind Sirius Canada Satellite Radio. His family’s foundation encompasses wide-ranging philanthropic interests, such as supporting numerous hospitals, theater companies, four schools in the Congo Republic, and the United Way, among many others.

“He’s a strong promoter of new artists and new trends [and] of technological innovation,” says Mirek Vana, a Berklee major gifts officer. “Gary is somebody who can really challenge the status quo.”

His contributions to Berklee didn’t start with philanthropy, though. Slaight got involved with Berklee as a parent eager to see his daughter Ali, an aspiring pop singer, succeed.

Ali’s music career progressed at Berklee such that she released an EP on Universal Canada, and Slaight’s involvement with the college grew. He joined the Berklee Board of Trustees and produced two concerts featuring Canadian artists, including K-Os, Bill King and the New Pornographers; students Rebecca Muir, Tara Keith, and Keisza Ellestad; and others.

And in 2009, he founded the Slaight Family Scholarship to bring more Canadian students who have the talent but not the financial means to attend Berklee. The award covers all costs other than the plane ticket for the recipients. The first two to receive the scholarship are Lucian Gray, a Toronto guitarist who has won numerous jazz awards; and singer/songwriter Samantha Schultz of Edmonton, who was nominated for a Canadian Folk Music Award when she was only 14.

For both students, the Slaight Family Scholarship made studying at Berklee possible. It was “completely a surprise and probably the most amazing thing that’s happened to me . . . to date,” Gray says.

Schultz agrees. “It’s a huge deal,” she says. “The fact that I was recognized [and had] my entire schooling [costs] paid for—it’s a blessing.” Without scholarship support, coming to Berklee wouldn’t have been an option for her. It was so out of reach that her family joked that she should frame her acceptance letter as a souvenir.

The impact of the scholarship goes beyond individual students, however. Berklee has used Slaight’s $1.07 million gift to attract new students and new donors.

In terms of immediate student recruitment, Slaight’s involvement has elevated Berklee’s profile in Canada. It’s been crucial “just to have that message to Canadians, saying, ‘One of you can go to college for free through the Slaight Family Scholarship,’” Vana says.

The effort dovetails with recent efforts to reach out to Canadians via audition and interview sites across the country. “This year we held auditions in Toronto, Vancouver, Hamilton, and Edmonton,” Vana says. “And we are preparing to add Montreal to the list next year.”

Berklee’s Admissions Office staff realized that “to leave Canada and go to an audition in another country was a really big hurdle,” says Mark Campbell, Berklee’s associate vice president for enrollment. In 2009, when Berklee staff and faculty began holding auditions in Canada, Campbell said that they found “the talent level pretty extraordinary.” But Berklee might not have been able to mine this talent without the Slaight funding. Had the college not traveled to Edmonton for auditions and interviews, for example, Schultz would never have auditioned for Berklee.

Prospective students from Canada have responded to the opportunities. Between 2008 and 2009, applications increased 46 percent; and between 2007 and 2009, scholarship offers nearly doubled, from $1.04 million to $1.99.

The scholarships also provide a model for conversation in other countries. As Berklee expands its international network, the college can cite the Slaight Family Scholarship as a way to help students and their home countries directly. The scholarship helps “other potential donors understand what kind of a difference they can create in the world,” Vana says.

That difference for Canadians is already apparent. Almost a year into her Berklee experience, Schultz can’t wait to learn more. “I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s just bettered me as a musician and as a person.”

Danielle Dreilinger is a writer and editor in Berklee’s Communications Department