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Xstrata Nickel Press Release: Xstrata Nickel invests in Lecture Series at Laurentian University: Dr Roberta Bondar to speak Marc 22, 2007
Sudbury, 14 December 2006
Xstrata Nickel today announced the contribution of $100,000 to Laurentian University in order to permanently endow the Xstrata Nickel Memorial Lecture Series. In turn, the University will match this amount with funds currently in the Falconbridge Lecture trust account.
“With today’s announcement, Xstrata Nickel wishes to re-affirm its commitment to the Greater Sudbury community,” said Mike Romaniuk, Vice-President of Operations in Sudbury for Xstrata Nickel. “This lecture series brings to Sudbury remarkable speakers who have excelled in their fields, and allows residents of Sudbury and Laurentian students to listen, learn and benefit from the knowledge and experiences shared by these noteworthy speakers.”
The Falconbridge Lectures were established in 1978 with donations made by Falconbridge Ltd., employees, families and friends in memory of five employees who died in an aircraft accident, near Barrie, Ontario, on 7 September 1977.
The purpose of the lectures is to bring eminent figures from academic circles, the business community, public life, the professions and the arts to Sudbury. Sixty-eight speakers, including notables such as John Kenneth Galbraith, Margaret Atwood, Benjamin Spock, Jessie Jackson, Jane Goodall, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and more recently Beverley McLachlin and Roméo Dallaire, have lectured over the years. Admission to the lectures is free, ensuring that members of both the Laurentian and the Greater Sudbury community have the opportunity to attend. In addition, students studying in a discipline related to the speaker’s area of expertise have a chance to meet and hear from the speaker in a format that is conducive to a more in-depth sharing of knowledge.
“We are very grateful to Xstrata Nickel for this generous contribution,” said Dr. Judith Woodsworth, President of Laurentian University. “By formally creating an endowment, we are also ensuring that not only Laurentian, but more importantly the Greater Sudbury community, will continue to benefit from these free lectures in perpetuity.”
The inaugural Xstrata Nickel Memorial Lecture will be held at Laurentian University Thursday, March 22, 2007. The featured speaker will be Dr. Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first woman in space and internationally renowned neurologist. Additional information about this event will be communicated early in the new year.
Xstrata
Xstrata is a major global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss stock exchanges. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Xstrata maintains a meaningful position in seven major international commodity markets: copper, coking coal, thermal coal, ferrochrome, nickel, vanadium and zinc, with a smaller but profitable aluminum business, recycling facilities, additional exposures to gold, lead and silver and a suite of global technologies, many of which are industry leaders. The Group's operations and projects span 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Jamaica, New Caledonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, the USA and the UK.
Xstrata Nickel is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc.
Xstrata Nickel’s mining operations include five mines and processing facilities in Ontario, Canada; Quebec, Canada; a ferronickel mine and processing facility in Bonao, Dominican Republic; and a refinery in Kristiansand, Norway. Xstrata Nickel has a promising portfolio of growth projects, including Nickel Rim South in Canada, Kabanga in Tanzania, and Koniambo in New Caledonia.
Xstrata Nickel is the fourth largest global nickel producer, with annual managed production of more than 110,000 tonnes of refined nickel.
Laurentian University
With more than 9,000 full-time and part-time students, Laurentian University is a mirror of Canada itself. One of only two bilingual universities in the country, we have a significant Native Student population and a growing number of international students. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Canada’s first new medical school in more than 30 years, launched in collaboration with Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, welcomed its charter class in 2005.
Laurentian is growing beyond the primarily undergraduate institution it once was, having added six new doctoral programs over the past three years. Additionally, the University’s research capacity continues to grow annually, averaging $15 million a year over the past few years. Recently, Laurentian launched the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) in collaboration with government and industry. The University also announced plans for a Living with Lakes Centre, which will be the first institutional building in Canada to achieve the Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the highest in the country.
Laurentian includes three federated universities: Huntington University, Thorneloe University and University of Sudbury. We also have two affiliated colleges: Collège universitaire de Hearst and Algoma University College. A unique partnership with Georgian College enables students to complete a three-year degree at the Barrie or Orillia campuses, with the option of a fourth year at Laurentian in Sudbury.
Today, the University counts 35,000 alumni. Strong in its bilingual and tricultural traditions and with deep roots in northern Ontario, Laurentian University continues to expand its program offerings, research activities and partnerships in Canada and abroad.
Reference:
Ian Hamilton
Director
Corporate Affairs
Xstrata Nickel
Toronto (Ontario)
(416) 982-7161
ihamilton@xstratanickel.ca
www.xstratanickel.ca
Michel Béchard
Director
Public Affairs
Laurentian University
Sudbury (Ontario)
(705) 675-1151, ext. 3408
mbechard@laurentian.ca
www.laurentian.ca
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