{"id":3505,"date":"2026-05-15T14:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T19:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/?p=3505"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T19:27:45","slug":"million-dollar-gift-to-brandon-university-doubles-chernoff-family-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/million-dollar-gift-to-brandon-university-doubles-chernoff-family-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Million-dollar gift to Brandon University doubles Chernoff Family Award"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dorine

Dorine Chernoff (n\u00e9e Dennison) at her Brandon College graduation in 1951<\/p><\/div>\n

A remarkable new gift of nearly $1.1 million from longtime supporter Michael N. Chernoff will significantly expand one of Brandon University\u2019s most prestigious entrance awards, creating new opportunities for top incoming students across campus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chernoff, who lives in West Vancouver but has deep Prairie roots, made the gift of securities in October 2025 to the Chernoff Family Award, which he established in 2001 in honour of his late wife, Dorine Marjorie Chernoff (n\u00e9e Dennison) and her parents, Agnes and Roland Dennison, who encouraged and supported her pursuit of higher education at Brandon. Dorine, a proud Brandon College graduate from the Class of 1951, passed away in 2023 at the age of 92.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth Dorine and I were first-generation university graduates in our families, and we realized how fortunate we were to be able to rely on the encouragement and support of our parents,\u201d Chernoff said. \u201cWhen we were able, we committed to helping students throughout Canada pursue their education, and it has been deeply rewarding to hear from those we have been able to support.\u201d<\/p>\n

The original award was created in 2001 with a gift from Chernoff of more than $500,000, which was matched at the time by the Province of Manitoba and the Brandon University Foundation. For more than two decades, that fund has supported the top two entering students each year, providing $7,500 annually to each, renewable for up to four years. To date, the fund has awarded more than $1.1 million to BU students.<\/p>\n

This latest contribution will allow Brandon University to double the annual impact of the award. Beginning next year, the Chernoff Family Award will be granted to the top entering student in each of BU\u2019s four faculties (Arts, Education, Health Studies and Science) and the School of Music. Each recipient will receive approximately $6,000 per year, renewable for up to four years \u2014 meaning as many as 20 students each year will benefit, and each awardee could receive up to $24,000 over their degree.<\/p>\n

\"Michael

Michael Chernoff in his home office<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cMichael Chernoff\u2019s generosity will touch generations of students at Brandon University. His commitment to honouring Dorine \u2014 and the family who supported her education \u2014 reflects the very best of what higher education can inspire,\u201d said BU President Dr. Christine Bovis-Cnossen. \u201cWe are deeply grateful for this gift, which strengthens our mission, expands opportunity, and will enhance student success for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMajor early entrance awards like the Chernoff Family Award play a crucial role in helping outstanding students choose Brandon University, especially when they are weighing multiple offers.\u201d \u2014 Andrea McDaniel, BU Registrar<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The BU Registrar, Andrea McDaniel, whose office oversees scholarships and bursaries like the Chernoff Family Award, says the expanded award will be a powerful new tool for attracting exceptional students from across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cMajor early entrance awards like the Chernoff Family Award play a crucial role in helping outstanding students choose Brandon University, especially when they are weighing multiple offers,\u201d she said. \u201cThe renewable structure is especially meaningful \u2014 it gives students stability, encouragement, and a strong foundation for success throughout their degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chernoff family has long championed education as a transformative force in Canada, supporting students at several universities and high schools across the country. Chernoff says his support for Brandon University is a tribute not only to his wife\u2019s formative years at Brandon College, but also to the values shared by their family over more than 60 years of marriage. \u201cThis is a gift that will keep on giving,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been particularly touched by the number of students who, after receiving our support, have vowed to engage in similar philanthropy when they are able to pay it forward themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A transformative gift of nearly $1.1-million is set to double one of Brandon University\u2019s most prestigious student awards \u2014 creating life-changing opportunities for top students across every faculty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-47"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/files\/michael-dorine-chernoff.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3505"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3519,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3505\/revisions\/3519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}