Sudbury Laurentian University – Mining Faculties and Research

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The current Ontario government has been formulating ideas for systemic change in higher education since at least 2005, when the Rae Review was released. Some of the issues raised in that review are still with us now – and one of those issues is university differentiation, which has come up yet again via a data set (PDF) from the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO) and most recently in the provincial government’s draft (PDF) of a framework for differentiation.

Differentiation refers to the idea that universities should each take on a distinct “mission”, one that sets them apart from other institutions, and that their activities and priorities should flow from the mission so chosen. The point of differentiation (PDF) in this way is to curtail or reduce costs through the elimination of activity that does not contribute to the university’s “mission”, and to increase quality by having institutions focus their various resources on a reduced range of programs and/or functions. Past discussions of teaching-focused universities (which already exist in some other provinces) were borne of the same logic.

Earlier in this process, the Ontario government required universities to produce Strategic Mandate Agreements outlining how they would take on specific roles in a larger provincial system. However, an “expert panel” who reviewed the results of this exercise concluded that universities had failed to generate mandates that show significant diversity. Since they haven’t been able to implement differentiation “from the bottom up”, universities are now haunted by the spectre of increased government intervention.

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Famed mining financier inaugurates Goodman School of Mines lecture series

SUDBURY, ON (October 9, 2013) – Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines launched its inaugural lecture series today with two lectures by internationally renowned financier Robert Friedland, Chairman and Founder of Ivanhoe Capital Corporation and Executive Chairman and Founder of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.

Mr. Friedland delivered a public lecture at Laurentian University on Wednesday evening, drawing on insights gained during his career in international resource development.

Mr. Friedland was introduced by Goodman School of Mines benefactor Ned Goodman, CEO of Dundee Corporation. Mr. Friedland said he was pleased to share the stage with Mr. Goodman, and to have the opportunity to expand on the role of mining in Canada and around the world. “Canadians are recognized in the international mineral resources sector as leaders and achievers of distinction,” he said. “I am honoured to have been invited to speak at Laurentian University, one of Canada’s premier centres of learning in the sciences of mining and minerals, and to share some of my experiences on the front lines.”

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http://www.laurentian.ca/content/goodman-school-of-mines

This speech was given by Dominic Giroux, during the Goodman School of Mines Cocktail Reception at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario on May 15, 2013

Good evening – bienvenue – aanii, boozhoo. Thank you all for being here, to share in this special occasion. And thank you to our gracious host, Ned Goodman.

I will keep my remarks relatively short. My role tonight is to give you a snapshot of Laurentian University. And that’s exactly why I say “relatively short”, because when I start talking about Laurentian University or what I like to call the “academic resort of Ontario” – 750 acres surrounded by 5 lakes, a golf course, and a supervised beach – I can truly go on for hours.

We are one of the fastest growing universities in Canada: we’ve grown from six to ten thousand students in the past decade, while increasing our average entry grade.

We’re very proud of our small class sizes. What makes the student’s experience unique at Laurentian is this proximity, this interaction, with faculty. 17% of our students are enrolled in French language programs and 10% of our students are aboriginal students—an important and growing proportion of our student population).

We’re proud of the fact that our research intensity has been growing annually. We’re among the top 3 in Canada in terms of total sponsored research, largely due to our award-winning research centers and our exceptional faculty.

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http://www.laurentian.ca/content/goodman-school-of-mines

This speech was given by Bruce Jago, during the Goodman School of Mines Cocktail Reception at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario on May 15, 2013

Thank you Dominic for your very kind introduction and thank you all for attending this celebration.

I would like extend particular thanks to Ned Goodman and Family for their generous investment in the educational future of Laurentian University under-graduate and graduate students but also in the future wealth and health of mining communities world-wide.

In addition, although I have only known Peter Crossgrove a very short time, I would like to express to him my sincere gratitude for introducing Ned Goodman to Laurentian’s President Dominic Giroux and for extending the invitation to this event to his many friends.

Many of you here today have some sort of tie to the mining industry but many of you do not. For those that do not have that tie, you should be aware that the mining industry is going through some transformative changes. We are still going discover and mine new deposits and put them bed once they are exhausted, that is still true, but the real change is going to be about changing how the next generation of mine industry workers are educated.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Largest ever NSERC-Collaborative R & D grant in support of “Footprints”

TORONTO, ON (May 14, 2013) – An innovative geo-science research project involving universities and mining industry sponsors from across Canada is being supported by the largest research grant ever awarded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) through its Collaborative Research and Development program.

The $5.1M NSERC grant was formally announced today by the Minister of State (Science and Technology), the Honourable Gary Goodyear. The NSERC funding is augmented by close to $7M in supportive funding from Canadian mining and related companies, acting through the Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC). The multi-year project will involve more than 40 researchers in geosciences from universities across Canada. The research is being co-led by Dr. Michael Lesher, Research Chair in Mineral Exploration and Professor of Economic Geology at Laurentian University and by Dr. Mark Hannington, Goldcorp Chair in Economic Geology and Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Ottawa.

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The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

A Laurentian University professor will help lead a $12-million research project to develop new ways to discover deep ore and mineral deposits.

Michael Lesher, research chair in mineral exploration and professor of economic geology at Laurentian, and Mark Hannington, Goldcorp chair in economic geology and professor of earth sciences at the University of Ottawa, will co-lead the project, which has been dubbed Footprints.

“It’s certainly the largest mineral exploration project ever run in Canada,” Lesher told The Sudbury Star on Tuesday. Footprints will involve researchers from 24 universities across the country and 27 industry partners, who will provide logistical and technical support. “It’s truly an incredibly consortium of people working together,” Lesher said.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council granted $5.1 million to the project and industry partners contributed an additional $7 million.

Lesher said most new ore discoveries will be deep underground. Deposits like the Ring of Fire (located in northwestern Ontario), which are almost outcropping from the Earth, represent the exception to the rule, he said. Mining exploration companies will need new technologies and methods to discover deeper ore bodies.

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Sudbury, ON, May 6, 2013 – MIRARCO continues to be a leader in adding value to underground selective mining operations through the use of the Schedule Optimization Tool (SOT). Building upon this commercial software, the SOT+ project dives deeper to enhance the capabilities of the existing tool. In partnership with mining companies Vale and Newmont, commercialization partners CAE Mining and Deswik, and project managed by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), the first SOT+ case study is now underway, optimizing the economic value of a Vale mining operation in the Sudbury area.

The SOT software optimizes the net present value (NPV) of medium to long-term underground mine schedules for both development and production. As a result, it decreases financial risk, saves time and manpower, and facilitates the evaluation of alternative designs and strategic options along with a wide range of analyses.

The SOT+ project aims to advance the functionality of the software for selective mining and to expand the software to handle bulk mining methods. There are five research themes, each of which will be anchored by a three year case study. The research themes are: ore blending, ventilation constraints, geotechnical constraints, schedule optimization for bulk mining methods (block caving and/or surface mining), and advanced valuation.

The research team includes partners from MIRARCO, Laurentian University, Curtin University, and Chasm Consulting/Ventsim. A mine planning specialist is seconded to the mining company sponsor for each case study.

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Over $65M invested during university’s most successful fund-raising drive

SUDBURY, ON (Thursday, March 28, 2013) – Laurentian University today celebrated the success of the most ambitious fund-raising campaign in its history. Launched as part of Laurentian’s 50th anniversary celebrations, “The Next 50 Campaign” set a fund-raising target of $50M to fuel the university’s growth and drive creativity, innovation and prosperity. The campaign has exceeded its goal and has raised more than $65.2M in private gifts alone excluding investments made by governments.

“The support shown for The Next 50 Campaign, both by members of the Sudbury community and donors across the country, has been quite extraordinary,” said Laurentian University President and Vice-Chancellor Dominic Giroux. “There is a growing awareness of the strengths of Laurentian’s signature programs, the expertise of its faculty, and the quality of its graduates. The university is clearly succeeding in its objective to build a national and international reputation for excellence.”

At each donor’s request, funds received in support of The Next 50 Campaign were earmarked for a variety of university projects and initiatives, including the Vale Living with Lakes Centre, the Centre for Excellence in Mining, expansion of the Ben Avery Centre, the Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre, the Goodman School of Mines, student scholarships and bursaries and cutting–edge research and studies. The tremendous momentum the campaign has generated will allow Laurentian’s Development staff to continue to identify and engage new donors in support of the university’s strategic directions.

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Bank supports ‘life-long learning’ through Laurentian University

TORONTO, ON (March 5, 2013) – BMO Financial Group announced a donation of $250,000 in Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines. The gift was presented at BMO’s offices at First Canadian Place, at a gathering held during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada International Convention and Trade Show.

“We are delighted to count BMO Financial Group among the significant private sector supporters of our Goodman School of Mines,” said Laurentian University President and Vice-Chancellor, Dominic Giroux. “I believe that we share a sincere conviction that both graduate education and life-long learning for mid-career professionals will enrich and strengthen the mining industry in Canada and abroad.”

“At BMO Financial Group we believe in personal growth and achievement through continuous learning and access to education. We’re impressed with the vision of the Goodman School of Mines at Laurentian University, and with its focus on training the next generation of mining professionals in Canada,” said Jason Neal, Managing Director & Global Co-Head, Global Metals & Mining, BMO Capital Markets.

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