Mike Norris, Sc’75, spent his years at Queen’s studying civil engineering. With two sons also graduating from Queen’s, Jonathan, Sc’11 and Andrew, Sc’07, Mr. Norris and his wife Janet have continued to be great supporters of the university and its engineering students by giving their time, Mr. Norris is volunteer Chair of the Initiative Campaign for Engineering, and by making very generous donations to the campaign.
Mr. Norris believes that engineering is about problem solving and that skills that make a good engineer can also make a good CEO or entrepreneur. This is why they are happy to support the Queen’s Innovation Commons, a 70,000 square foot facility that will give students the tools they need to become successful entrepreneurs and innovators.
"We wanted to give back, to ensure that Queen’s remains a good school for our children and grandchildren," he says. "If we educate them properly, we're going to help them in their careers. More important, we are going to continue to make this country great."
Life has been busy for Mr. Norris, who, after graduating went on to work for Mobil Oil and Gulf Canada. In 1987 he joined RBC as an Investment Banker, then spent six years running the company’s Alberta operations. In 1998 he returned to Toronto as Head of Investment Banking, ultimately becoming Deputy Chairman of RBC Capital Markets. Since retiring from RBC, he continues to keep busy as Director of Keyera Corp. and as a Member of the Board of Governors of both the Shaw Festival and Crescent School, and Co-Chair of the Imagine Executive Council.
