Foundation endows innovative education chair for engineering

Calgary, AB – With a $3-million gift from the Li Ka Shing (Canada) Foundation, the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering will create an endowed chair to lead the development and implementation of applied learning initiatives to nurture innovation among the next generation of engineers. The University of Calgary will match the donation, bringing the total to $6 million.

The university’s goal is to better cultivate research that leads to innovative educational programs, the results of which will be disseminated to the broader international community through conference presentations and visits to other institutions, including those in the People’s Republic of China.

“The world is changing; the workplace is changing. For graduates to be leaders in this constantly changing milieu, they need to have extensive experience with how to innovate within the systems that make up the foundations of engineering,” says Dr Elizabeth Cannon, dean of the Schulich School of Engineering. “This chair will help ensure that students of the Schulich School of Engineering have hands-on learning experiences that equip them to be innovators. These are the people who will tackle the global challenges facing us today.”

Mr Li Ka-shing, founder and chairman of the Li Ka Shing Foundation, believes that the spirit of reason and innovation is key to any society’s continuous progress. Developing innovative programs in education is especially important as its reach will make a difference to young people who might lead the way and reshape the world’s destiny.