In one of its largest donations ever, the University of Calgary has received $40 million to nurture innovative thinking in business.
The private gift from the Hunter Family Foundation will establish the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking.
The U of C said Wednesday, the hub will support entrepreneurial student experiences, enable faculty to lead in innovation, and expand a growing community of entrepreneurs and innovators.
The money will also help build and outfit a dedicated space on campus where students and faculty can learn and turn ideas into reality.
“This gift reflects our core vision of ‘entrepreneurial giving,’” said Diane Hunter, UCalgary alumna and trustee of the Hunter Family Foundation, along with husband Doug and son Derrick (also an alumnus).
“We invest in our community to impact change. As one of Canada’s leading research institutions, the University of Calgary is a driver of the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem in our community. It fuels our next generation of talented social and technological thinkers, who will in turn energize our city, our province and our world for the future.”
The hub will support entrepreneurship camps, courses in entrepreneurial thinking, seed funding, workshops and training programs.
The U of C also plans to develop a new entrepreneurial certificate that will be available to students in all areas of study.
“This could not come at a better time as we talk about increasing diversification in Calgary and building resiliency in our community. Programs like this are going to prepare the graduates of the future to contribute in a very significant way,” said university president Elizabeth Cannon.
Comments