WATERLOO, Ont. -- The University of Waterloo has received a $1 million donation over five years from RBC Financial Group to establish a modern facility to advance the cause of electronic learning.
The major donation will allow UW to build the RBC Information Commons, a high-tech learning and study space on campus. It will be located on the main floor of the Davis Centre Library, which is one of the two main library facilities at Waterloo.
The RBC Information Commons will enrich the learning process for UW students by organizing their library workspace in an integrated, accessible, and highly visible area.
"RBC Financial Group is proud to be a part of establishing this state-of-the-art e-learning facility at the University of Waterloo," said Martin Lippert, RBC's Vice- Chairman and Chief Information Officer. "Our contribution is an investment in technology and education that we know will serve thousands of students on campus for years to come."
"This generous donation will enable the university to create the RBC Information Commons," said UW President David Johnston. "The Commons will be instrumental in changing the way e-learning takes place at the UW Library." [more]
"Establishing the RBC Information Commons demonstrates RBC's commitment to the community, and especially to e-learning and personal development," said Mark Haslett, University Librarian. "The leadership gift will create a new resource to help UW students and researchers develop and maintain the information management skills they need for success now and in the years ahead."
The RBC Information Commons will serve the needs of students and professors from the Faculties of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science. The Davis Centre Library attracts more than 3,400 visitors daily as well as many online users.
Featuring clusters of high-end multimedia workstations, networked wireless laptops, and express-type terminals, the RBC Information Commons will provide students and researchers with access to the information technology they need to investigate and think critically about the online world.
RBC Financial Group (RBC) is Canada's largest financial institution. RBC considers its long-term support of education not only to be an investment in communities, but also in Canada's future. In 2002, RBC was named "most socially responsible" corporation in Canada for the seventh year in a row. Over one-quarter of the RBC Foundation annual budget is devoted to education-almost $9 million. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.
Ranked No. 1 for best overall reputation in the annual university survey in Maclean's magazine, UW is an innovative institution that responds to the needs of society. With more than 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students, it was the first university in Canada to offer the co-operative system of study, balancing theoretical learning with practical experience in the workplace. Waterloo's Faculty of Arts has the largest co-op program in the humanities and social sciences in the world. UW was also the first university in the world to establish a Faculty of Mathematics and the first university in North America to make computers widely available to undergraduates. Today, UW is a research-intensive university, committed to discovering new knowledge and finding ways to use that knowledge for the benefit of society. For more information about UW, please go to www.uwaterloo.ca
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