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.
MP Rod Bruinooge