The turtle passes...from Tom Boran (l) to Bill Maes

The winner of this year’s United Way Deans’ Challenge and accompanying turtle trophy is (drum roll)–the Dalhousie Libraries!


On December 16 Dean of Dentistry Tom Boran graciously conceded the United Way turtle, which has resided in his office for the past year, to University Librarian Bill Maes at an official “Turtle Transfer” ceremony in the lobby of the Killam Library. The Libraries’ win was calculated based on a complex formula devised by Keith Taylor of the Mathematics and Statistics Department to ensure a level playing field regardless of Faculty size.


Bill Maes came up with the idea of the Dean’s Challenge in 2008 as a fun way to increase participation in the United Way campaign at Dal. When asked “Why a turtle?” Bill replies, “Slow but steady progress towards our goal!”

The Libraries are proud to have the as-yet-unnamed 20 pound amphibian on our premises and will be touring it through each of our four libraries. We would also like to thank Dean Boran and the Faculty of Dentistry for taking such good care of the turtle, especially its dental health. We understand the Libraries are free to bring it in for checkups anytime.


The Dalhousie Libraries have raised the bar–prepare to meet a whole new turtle-powered challenge at next year’s United Way campaign, Dalhousie!