THE SCOTTISH STUDIES FOUNDATION is a registered charitable organization dedicated to advancing the study of Scottish history and culture, including its many Canadian dimensions. In 2004 we endowed the landmark Scottish Studies Foundation Chair of Scottish Studies at the University of Guelph — the acclaimed academic centre in North America for research, graduate training, and teaching on Scottish history and culture. We also support students through Scottish Studies scholarships and sponsor conferences and cultural events. Please click here for information on how you can join our active community and support our cause.
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Lynn McDonald will be receiving the Scottish Studies Society's 2025 Scot of the Year Award in view of her long public career and many contributions to building a better Canada, especially in relation to women's equality and pay equity. Dr. McDonald has been in the news recently for her work in correcting misunderstandings about key historical figures such as Sir John A Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson and Henry Dundas by placing them in historical context. The event will take place at the Arts & Letters Club in Toronto on April 5, 2025. Preliminary information has been posted here.
Early in 2024, at the age of 102, Dr.Elizabeth Waterston, professor emeritus at the University of Guelph, author, critic and editor, sent us her manuscript of Open the Gate — an appraisal of the first twenty poems in Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. We are pleased to announce that her book has now been published. Details here.
Sheila Mary Watt, one of our longtime members, has kindly donated the manuscript of her book The Weirs of Blackwood to the Foundation and we are pleased to announce that the resulting book has now been published. Details here.
In 2022, former publisher-turned-author Douglas Gibson (pictured above) donated the rights to have his latest book, GREAT SCOTS: Celebrating Canadian Writers with Links to Scotland, published by the Scottish Studies Foundation to be used as a fundraiser for the Scottish Studies program at the University of Guelph. We are excited to have received the first batch of books from the printer, all of which have been carefully inscribed by Doug. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes from Doug's research and his career in publishing. It features 35 writers with links to Scotland, from Sir Alexander Mackenzie to Joseph Boyden, and is illustrated by co-author Anthony Jenkins who served as editorial cartoonist, caricaturist and writer with the Globe and Mail for four decades. To obtain your copy of this captivating new book, click here.
Having completed the funding of the Digital Archive Room at the University of Guelph, our focus now shifts to the funding of in-course scholarships for Scottish Studies students. More information here.
PAST POSTINGS
A selection of items that have appeared on our website over the years have been posted here.