groundbreaking – CMU Media Archive

WINNIPEG, July 8, 2013 – Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) President Cheryl Pauls, with MP Rod Bruinooge and City of Winnipeg Councillor Paula Havixbeck, broke ground today on the university’s new $13.9-million expansion project. They were joined by well over 100 friends and supporters from the university and the broader community.

Joining President Pauls were local businessmen Elmer Hildebrand, the capital project’s Campaign Chair, and Art DeFehr who is Vice-Chair of CMU’s Board of Governors.

“What is being done today really sets the pace for the future,” said MP Bruinooge, who chairs the Federal Government’s Post-Secondary Education Caucus. “I’ve seen many different schools across Canada and I know that the people here care at such a deep level—it brings such life to our community.”

CMU President Pauls stated, “The range of activities being planned for this Library and Learning Commons will make it the hub of the campus—linking the learning of the classroom with cutting edge research techniques that cross people and books and e-resources with invigorating forms of collaborative engagement.”

Havixbeck affirmed this vision, stating this project “goes beyond bricks and mortar as education is the life blood of our community. I am excited about this project.”

Planned for the heart of the CMU’s Shaftesbury campus in South Winnipeg, the Library and Learning Commons will generate vital resources and services, study and collaborative spaces, and welcome the constituency and wider community into the life of the university. Meanwhile, the new pedestrian bridge will connect CMU’s Shaftesbury Campus, which is currently separated by Grant Avenue.

To date, roughly $10-million has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.

(l-r) Art DeFehr, Vice Chair CMU Board of Governors; Elton DeSilva, MB Church Manitoba Executive Director; Cheryl Pauls CMU President; Elmer Hildebrand, CMU Capital Campaign Chair; Willard Metzger, Executive Director MC Canada; Paula Havixbeck, City of Winnipeg Councillor; MP Rod Bruinooge — (l-r) Art DeFehr, Vice Chair CMU Board of Governors; Elton DeSilva, MB Church Manitoba Executive Director; Cheryl Pauls CMU President; Elmer Hildebrand, CMU Capital Campaign Chair; Willard Metzger, Executive Director MC Canada; Paula Havixbeck, City of Winnipeg Councillor;
MP Rod Bruinooge

WINNIPEG, July 3, 2013 – Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) President Cheryl Pauls will gather with Federal, Provincial, and Civic representatives on July 8, 2013 for a groundbreaking celebration to mark the start of construction of the University’s new library and learning commons and pedestrian bridge.

Funding for the new complex, the impact of which will be experienced by students, faculty and the broader constituency and community for decades to come, has been generated by the CONNECT fundraising campaign. Under the leadership of Campaign Chair Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting, roughly $10-million of the $13.9-million goal has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.

The new library and learning commons will provide a space where students and faculty can give their full attention to learning as they study, collaborate, and research together. The facility will also include both a café and a ‘conversation corner’ in which events such as book launches, readings, stand-up receptions, and opportunities for engaging conversation of significant issues to CMU and the broader community will be hosted.

The adjacent bridge will provide students and faculty with a safe, accessible route across a major thoroughfare, while creating a greater sense of community by joining the north and south campus areas separated by Grant Avenue.

Media and members of the community are invited to attend the groundbreaking event, which will take place near the site of the new Library & Learning Commons and Bridge (Shaftesbury at Grant Avenue). In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place indoors in the Great Hall, accessed via the main entrance at 500 Shaftesbury Boulevard.

CMU Groundbreaking Celebration:
July 8, 2013, 10:30 AM
500 Shaftesbury Boulevard, Winnipeg, MB