Promoting innovation

RSGC was only six years old when alumnus Cam Harvey ’77 entered what was then St. George’s College in 1970. A lot has changed since that time, but Cam says that a great education was already fully in place. He fondly remembers his teachers’ excitement for learning and strong engagement. “The teachers were really good. They got us interested in learning,” he says. “I was inspired by the infectious curiosity and the enthusiasm of the SGC faculty. I enjoyed learning, and this served me well all the way through to the University of Chicago for my Ph.D.”

“The facilities were nothing great at that time, but the focus was not on that; the focus was on the quality of the education we were receiving. That really made a difference,” he says. “It didn’t seem like a big deal that we had to run in the park, or swim at the ‘Y,’ or go to Christie Pits for soccer. We weren’t distracted by all that—it was just the way it was, and it didn’t really matter because that just wasn’t the focus. What mattered was we were getting a great education—and having fun at the same time.”

Cam was Head Prefect during the 1976–77 school year and attended the school from Grades 7 to 13. Today, he is Professor of Finance at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge. In 2016, he served as President of the American Finance Association.

He is generous in giving back to RSGC, and does so in ways that reflect his interests, passions, and the vision he has for the school.

“A number of years ago, I had an idea to give annual donations directed to faculty development,” he says. “The idea is that the school needs to continue to invest in the faculty to keep them at the leading edge. The money is meant to support professional development opportunities such as travel to seminars, tuition for courses, consultants, and other means of maintaining and enhancing the high calibre of the RSGC faculty.”

“As well, I understand that our knowledge depreciates, and we need to continually invest in our human capital. Indeed, this is the key reason for establishing the endowment—so RSGC faculty can remain great teachers.” In addition to annual giving, Cam supported the establishment of the Harvey Professional Learning Grant.

“My support is an indication of just how important I believe the school’s mission is. I believe in RSGC and what it gives to students, and I’m willing to support it. It’s so important to continue to invest in our faculty to maintain and enhance their professional standing. Such consistency is important at the highest possible level for the educational experience of the students.”

Cam, who now lives in North Carolina, is also generous with his time. In addition to his visit to the College in June 2022, he was a guest speaker at the RSGCAA Networking and Mentorship Event. A couple of years earlier, he hosted a Knights Talk speaker series session. “My favourite thing is to show up and give a talk to, answer questions from, and engage with the students”—something he does regularly.

Cam believes that the RSGC experience develops students as leaders. “It’s a place that is focused on preparing leaders,” he says. “We need leaders, teachers who are inspiring students to step up, to harness their abilities, to equip students with the tools to provide a positive vision of the future. All of this is really important stuff. All of these are the lessons I learned from my high school time at SGC; lessons that are still relevant today. The world has changed, but the basic principles haven’t.”