|
Donation to fund top-grade environmental
standing
LONDON,
ON, September 10, 2009 - The new
building for the Richard Ivey School of
Business will be so green it's gold -
gold standard in the green building
rating system - thanks to a generous
donation from Richard M. (Dick) Ivey.
Mr. Ivey
announced a new $8.5-million commitment
to Ivey, of which $5 million will be
used to ensure the structure achieves a
gold-level Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED)-certification
from the Canadian Green Building
Council.
The LEED
rating system is a voluntary,
consensus-based, national standard for
developing high-performance, sustainable
buildings and grades the amount of
sustainable influence on the design and
development.
"As a
thought leader in sustainability, we are
proud that our new home will be as
environmentally friendly and energy
efficient as possible and we are
extremely grateful to the Ivey family
for helping us meet this high standard,"
said Carol Stephenson, Dean, Richard
Ivey School of Business. "The building
supports the School's strategy and
cements Ivey's position as one of the
preeminent business schools in the
world."
The
announcement was made today at a
ceremonial groundbreaking for the new
facility. It will be located on the west
side of Western Road in front of Brescia
University College. The new facility
will bring students, faculty and staff -
currently dispersed across five
locations in London - under one roof and
will accommodate Ivey's strong enrolment
growth.
"We are
delighted to contribute to this project
and to enhance the experience of Ivey
students," said Dick Ivey. "Supporting
environmental causes is very close to
our hearts so we are pleased the new
Ivey building will incorporate this high
environmental standard."
The gold
certification makes the facility one of
the greenest buildings in North America.
This gift
from Mr. Ivey increases a commitment the
Ivey family made in 2007 from $6.5
million to $15 million which provides
the foundation for Ivey's next campaign.
The Ivey family's long-standing
commitment to the Ivey Business School
now exceeds $28 million. Today's
extraordinary gift cements the Ivey
family's support for The University of
Western Ontario as one of the most
significant relationships between a
family and a Canadian university.
"The Ivey
family has been incredibly generous and
consistent in their support for Western
and for our Richard Ivey School of
Business," said Western President Amit
Chakma. "This donation, like others from
the family, will have an enormous impact
on our ability to ensure that Western
remains a leader in research and
education."
The
$15-million Ivey Family gift is
comprised of $5 million to support the
new building; $3 million to establish a
unique program that matches unrestricted
endowed gifts; $1 million endowment to
support initiatives in corporate social
responsibility; $1.5 million directed to
the Lawrence G. Tapp Chair in Leadership
and $4.5 million as a bequest from Dick
Ivey.
Officials
attending the groundbreaking ceremony
included representatives of the federal
and Ontario governments, along with
Siamak Hariri, Partner, Hariri Pontarini
Architects, the building's architect;
Brian Waltham, Vice-President,
Southwestern Ontario, EllisDon, the
general contractor; and members of the
Ivey family.
Funding for
this project is being provided by the
Government of Canada's Knowledge
Infrastructure Program and through
Ontario Government's 2009 Budget.
About
the Richard Ivey School of Business, The
University of Western Ontario
The Richard Ivey School of Business at
The University of Western Ontario (www.ivey.ca)
offers undergraduate (HBA)
and graduate degree programs (MBA,
Executive MBA and
PhD) in addition to non-degree
Executive Development programs. Ivey has
campuses in London (Ontario),
Toronto, and Hong Kong. Ivey
recently redesigned its curriculum to
focus on
Cross-Enterprise Leadership™" a
holistic issues-based approach to
management education that meets the
demands of today's complex global
business world.
-30-
For more
information, please contact:
Dawn Milne,
Communications Specialist, Richard Ivey
School of Business, 519-850-2536,
dmilne@ivey.ca
|
