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 Trent University Announces Inaugural Scholarship Recipients of BMO Financial Group Future Green Leaders’ FundFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Half-million dollar investment to support Friday, April 8, 2011, Peterborough
Trent University’s provost and vice-president, academic, Dr. Gary Boire and vice-president, External Relations & Advancement, Dianne Lister, were joined today by MPP Jeff Leal and Eileen Grady, vice-president & market manager, BMO Harris Private Banking to announce the first scholarship recipients of the newly established BMO Financial Group Future Green Leaders’ Fund valued at $500,000. Each student has received a total of $15,000, of which $5,000 has been contributed by BMO Financial Group and $10,000 from the Provincial Government through the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program. $300,000 of the total gift will be used to build an endowment to support graduate students studying within the environmental portfolio in perpetuity Demonstrating leadership in today’s emerging green economy, BMO Financial Group’s generous support will be directed to three areas:
“BMO Financial Group’s generous support will help further Trent’s collective knowledge base to prepare us to take action to meet the environmental challenges we all face,” said Dr. Steven E. Franklin, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “The new Future Green Leaders’ Fund allows us to further build on a 40 year relationship with BMO and to ensure Trent University remains on the forefront of preparing students for jobs in the emerging green economy. We thank BMO for their generous gift of half a million dollars” “BMO is to be commended for their significant investment in Trent University and the creation of these special graduate awards,” said Jeff Leal. “The emphasis on developing the green leaders of tomorrow complements the Province’s agenda announced in the recent budget to strengthen Ontario’s position to take advantage of opportunities centered on the emerging green economy. This fund is helping Trent to prepare the highly qualified personnel who will become the green leaders of tomorrow and who will steward our environment for the benefit of future generations.” Of the eleven BMO scholarship recipients announced today, two are working towards an M.A., four towards a Ph.D., and five are M.Sc. students. These scholars are working towards finding solutions to a wide range of environmental challenges including: controlling the harmful effects of disease and man-made pollutants in aquatic environments, protecting our food supply, monitoring the effects of climate change and pollution on endangered species of dolphins, plants, squirrels and birds, examining the impact of environmental stressors on early neonatal maternal care, and developing solutions for community-based renewable energy programs. >>read student profiles >> Trent University has been a leader in the environment since its inception in 1964. Thousands of Trent students have gone on to become highly skilled, contributing professionals in a wide variety of occupations within the environmental-green workplace. Trent’s environmental expertise at both national and international levels is focused on aquatic sciences, climate change, water contaminant analysis, environmental modeling, northern and polar studies, species conservation and biodiversity, wildlife stress and diseases, ecological restoration, community-based environmental solutions and DNA profiling of animal and plants for effective ecosystem management. Graduates of Trent’s environmental portfolio make significant contributions to helping governments, the private sector and communities affect important and positive change. "We partnered with Trent University because of our firm belief that the BMO Financial Group Future Green Leaders' Fund would help to attract and support new leaders in Canada's green economy to Trent and cement the University's place as a true leader in environmental education in Canada," said Lloyd Fleming, District Vice-President, Central and Northern Ontario, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We're delighted to see these eleven students rewarded for their impressive work. We congratulate them, and we look forward to the Fund supporting even more environmental leaders in the years to come." A leader amongst financial institutions in Canada in the area of environmental sustainability, BMO is a generous supporter of many environmental initiatives in Canada. In 2008, BMO created the Clear Blue Skies strategy to recognize the importance the bank places on the quality of the air that we breathe. Achievements to date include: being the first Canadian bank to achieve ISO 14001 certification; a commitment to reducing net emissions related to energy consumption and transportation to zero by 2010, and being named as one of the highest scoring companies in the world and the only Canadian bank in the Global 500 Carbon Disclosure leadership Index for 2009. - 30 - For more details, contact: |
