Ted and Adrienne Goldthorpe both knew they wanted to attend the Commerce program at Queen’s University after a campus tour.
“I did a series of tours of universities and colleges and as soon as I walked onto Queen’s campus I knew that was the school I wanted to go to,” Ted recalls.
Since graduating in ‘99, the two have gone on to have successful careers – Ted in investment banking and financial services, and Adrienne in marketing and fundraising – laying down roots and raising three daughters in the New York area.
Though it’s been more than 30 years since the pair walked through the doors 143 Union St. for their first business class, their fondness of Queen’s hasn’t waned.
They are deliberate about attending homecoming and often involved in their class reunion committee and supporting its fund, In 2025, they also created the Ted and Adrienne Goldthorpe Admission Award.
“I had a fabulous experience,” Adrienne says, explaining that her fellow students and the faculty were a big part of that. “The whole experience of the first time being away and being an adult and being in a supportive community amongst people who are also really interested in going out in the world and doing as much as they can and learning as much as they can – I would like to make sure that opportunity remains the same, or gets even better, for the next generation.”
The pair, who are part of an active alumni network in the New York area, were honoured to sponsor and host two events in The Big Apple coinciding with the Commerce program’s Investment Banking Preparatory Course visit to the city to secure internship and full-time roles at leading investment banks and buy-side firms.
“When Smith comes down here, it rallies the troops,” Ted says, adding that there’s something special about coming together with students and fellow alumni from your alma mater. “Everybody is very supportive. Everybody’s cheering for everybody…I love that it’s not like certain other circles where everybody’s trying to outdo everybody else.”
To help expand on the success of Smith’s Investment Banking Preparatory Course, Ted and Adrienne are now lending their support to Smith’s new Global Career Pathways initiative. They have made a multi-year commitment to the program that will support experiential learning opportunities, alumni mentorship, and enhanced career prospects for students in global markets, such as New York.
Experiential programs like the Global Career Pathways initiative provide an avenue for students to explore career options in a more tactile way.
“It gives you a chance to meet people who are in those careers and fields and understand if it would be a good fit for you to try, to take some risks, spread your wings – especially when you’re young – and dream big,” Adrienne says.
It’s also a great source of early talent acquisition for companies in the U.S. with accelerated recruitment timelines.
“I hire students at Smith every year,” says Ted, who is head of credit for BC Partners. “They have a really good balance of both IQ and EQ. They’re humble, smart, nice, well-trained.” And while work visas are an extra hurdle when hiring Canadian students, he says, “spending $5,000 to potentially get somebody who could make you millions of dollars is a pretty easy investment.”
Whether it’s a fundraising initiative such as the Global Career Pathways program or sharing your learnings as a guest speaker in the classroom, both Ted and Adrienne encourage their fellow alumni to get involved with the school.
“Queen’s does need their help,” Ted explains. “And it’s not because the school’s not incredibly well run and not because they don’t have amazing people. It’s because, like every business, there’s pressure on costs and pressure on programming...They’re grappling with a whole bunch of issues…and alumni can really help with some of that stuff.”
Interested alumni are invited to reach out to explore how they can get involved.
“As the years progressed, I came to value and realize how much my Queen’s University education and experience impacted my life,” says Adrienne, noting she views her engagement with the school as a way of paying things forward. “I think I initially didn't appreciate how much Queen’s gave to me…if I would have connected sooner I think that would have been great.”
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