XSTRATA NICKEL MAKES $1 MILLION INVESTMENT IN LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
XSTRATA NICKEL MAKES $1 MILLION INVESTMENT IN LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY
Funds will support the creation of the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre
SUDBURY, ON (June 21st, 2011)
Xstrata Nickel has made a $1 million investment in Laurentian University to support the creation of the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre. The gift was announced today during Laurentian University’s National Aboriginal Day celebrations."As a company that engages with aboriginal communities, Xstrata Nickel is proud to support Laurentian University's Indigenous students," said Marc Boissonneault, Vice-President of Xstrata Nickel's Sudbury Operations, who presented the cheque to the university. "This $1 million donation will help provide young indigenous men and women with increased access to the tools and services needed to reach their academic goals, and I applaud Laurentian for its efforts to make this vision a reality."
―Xstrata Nickel’s commitment to First Nation students is truly inspiring,‖ said Laurentian President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux, ―and we appreciate Xstrata’s decision to make this further investment in Laurentian University. Over 700 Indigenous students are enrolled at Laurentian, and the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre will serve and support them, and future generations of Indigenous scholars.‖
A Laurentian University PhD student, Caroline Recollet acknowledged Xstrata Nickel’s contribution. ―As a Laurentian University student and a member of the Wahnapitae First Nation, I would like to thank Xstrata Nickel for their dedication to our future.‖
Sheila-Cote Meek, Laurentian University’s Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Programs and a driving force behind the project said the Centre’s mission is to help more indigenous students find success in their post-secondary studies. ―The Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre will become a space to nurture both academic and cultural activities while advancing Indigenous scholarship. Xstrata Nickel’s investment in this project is welcomed by Laurentian and by our local communities.‖
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About the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre
Designed in consultation with aboriginal leaders, Laurentian University’s Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre will provide the tools for individual and collective self-determination, while encouraging partnerships, celebrating and nurturing diversity, and enhancing access for indigenous students. Within this space, students, staff, faculty, and the community at large will facilitate research by and for indigenous peoples, nurture indigenous undergraduates and graduates, showcase indigenous scholars and serve as a central resource on a national scale. The Centre will accentuate the presence of indigenous peoples at Laurentian and will be a physical reflection of all aspects of its peoples including art, culture, and spirituality.
Page 2 of 2The Next 50 Campaign
To ensure that Laurentian continues to drive creativity, innovation and prosperity , the university has launched The Next 50 Campaign—the most ambitious fundraising campaign ever undertaken in Northern Ontario—which aims to raise $50 million in new investments. To date, $38.6 million has been secured in support of Laurentian’s key projects, including: the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre; the School of Architecture; a School of Mines and an expanded endowment fund to increase opportunities for researchers, graduate students, and student athletes to excel through the creation of chairs, fellowships, and scholarships.
Xstrata Nickel
Xstrata Nickel, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is one of Xstrata Group’s global commodity businesses. Xstrata Nickel’s operations include mines and processing facilities in Canada, the Dominican Republic and Australia, and a refinery in Norway. Xstrata Nickel has a world-class portfolio of growth projects in New Caledonia, Tanzania and Brazil. Xstrata Nickel is the world’s fifth largest nickel producer, with annual managed production of more than 92,000 tonnes of refined nickel.
About Laurentian University
Laurentian University is one of the fastest growing universities in Canada in the past decade, with an increase of 53% in international students over the last two years alone. With its main campus in Sudbury, it now offers a growing number of programs in Barrie to the 1,200 students located on that campus. Laurentian is a bilingual university with a tricultural mandate to support Aboriginal students. The University was ranked first in Canada among primarily undergraduate universities for its sponsored research income for two years in a row. Laurentian is the first school outside the US accredited for its forensic science program. All of the graduates from its School of Medicine were matched in the first round of the Canadian Resident Matching Service – a first in Canada in ten years…twice. Laurentian has one of the highest post-graduation employment rates in Ontario and receives high recognition for its enviable class sizes which offers the lowest faculty-to-student ratios in Canada. For more information on Laurentian University visit www.laurentian.ca
You can also find a copy of the annual report by visiting www.laurentian.ca/2011report
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MEDIA CONTACTS
For further information please contact:
Laurentian University Xstrata Nickel
Joanne Musico Lori Horner
Manager, Communications Director of Human Resources
Phone: 705-675-1151 ext. 3445 705-693-2761 ext. 3912
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