The Richard Ivey School of Business will launch the Ivey Centre for Value Investing and the Ben Graham Chair in Value Investing created by Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. today.

To support the launch, professor George Athanassakos, recipient of the Ben Graham Chair in Value Investing, will teach a class that will video-link with Irving Kahn, a pioneer in value investing. Kahn is one of the last remaining associates of Ben Graham, the founder of value investing.

Mason Hawkins, the founder of Southeastern Asset Management, Peter Cundill from Peter Cundill & Associates Ltd. and Mark Holowesko from Templeton Capital Advisers Ltd. have also signed on to deliver future lectures.

“The creation of the Ben Graham Chair in Value Investing is in memory of the dean of value investing and will help educate the next generation of value investors in Canada,” said Ivey alumnus Prem Watsa, chairman Fairfax Financial. In addition to Watsa, the partners of Hamblin Watsa and a group of well known value investors will also attend the class.

Famed investor Sir John Templeton said, “I am delighted to learn that the Ben Graham Chair in Value Investing has been established at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario through the generosity of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. and that the inaugural lecture is being delivered on March 7, by such a distinguished practitioner as Mr. Irving Kahn. I regret that I am unable to attend personally but would like to extend my sincere best wishes to all participants on the inception of this essential academic program dedicated to the systematic study of intrinsic investment value.”