|
||
Trent University Praises New Federal Investments in Financial Aid, Research and Cluster Development |
||
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, November 15, 2005 Trent University welcomed the federal government's economic update announcing new investments in student aid and research that will increase students' access to a postsecondary education and provide additional support for university-based research. The announcements were made as part of The Honourable Ralph Goodale's economic and fiscal update titled, "A Plan for Growth and Prosperity." Trent President Bonnie Patterson said, "These investments will help to provide universities and students with the resources needed to keep Canada competitive in today's global knowledge-economy." Patterson added, "The government is to be commended for committing $2.2 billion over five years in student financial assistance to improve access to postsecondary education for students from families that are from lower and middle income groups." The student aid package includes $550 million over five years to extend Canada Access Grants to 55,000 students from low income families in all years of undergraduate education. As a university recognized nationally for its research performance, Trent researchers stand to benefit from a new investment of $1.2 billion over five years for the Indirect Cost of research program. The program will result in the funding of 40 per cent of universities' direct costs for research grants received from federal research granting agencies. More than $2.1 billion in new funding will be invested to sustain Canada's leadership in university-based research and over $500 million will be invested the next five years in internships and scholarships for natural and health sciences and engineering graduates. "The government has indicated that a portion of these funds will also be used to support knowledge-based clusters. This could be a great opportunity for the Peterborough Region's DNA Cluster initiative, which has a wide base of community support," said President Patterson. Additional announcements applicable to the university sector include:
President Patterson noted that given that the funds in the economic statement are targeted for very specific purposes, the University continues to face some financial pressures. "If these funding proposals, which are targeted at very specific spending envelopes, come to fruition in the next budget, they can help to address various financial pressures on the University's operating budget." In the recently released Maclean's university rankings for 2005, Trent University ranked number one among primarily undergraduate universities for scholarships and bursaries as a percentage of its overall budget. In October, Trent was ranked number one research university of the year for the third consecutive year in a study by Research Infosource published in the National Post. - 30 - For more information contact:
|
||
Return to Trent
University Home |
||