University celebrates the official opening of EITC
New building is the first of three in project
Erin Stewart
Photos by David Lipnowski.
The official ribbon-cutting of the Engineering and Information Technology Complex last Friday was no exception to the exuberance that seems to characterize the faculty of engineering.
With pomp and circumstance, the much-anticipated facility was formally recognized before a jovial crowd of students, faculty and alumni.
The EITC embodies a collaborative partnership between the faculty of engineering and the faculty of science’s department of computer science. It was constructed to provide engineering and computer science students with the most advanced, state-of-the-art education possible. Students and faculty in both disciplines seemed delighted to share the limelight as the ceremony commenced.
Third-year engineering student Gwen Nedohin gave her approval of the new facility. “We don’t have to walk across campus anymore, it brings our faculty together,” she said.
Quamural Islam Khan is taking his masters in computer science. He affirmed that the new facility will help moderate the tedium of his studies.
“I think it’s awesome . . . . We have a great lab, a great space, and a great environment to study in,” he said.
President Emõke Szathmáry addressed the crowd by quoting Winston Churchill, “We shape our buildings, and after that they shape us.” Szathmary expressed gratitude towards the contributions provided by both the provincial government and the private sector, claiming each showed “confidence in the university.”
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer addressed the crowd by sharing his government’s vision of the future, stating that he hopes to encourage economic growth in the province through post-secondary education.
“You can’t have an economic strategy without an education strategy,” said Doer. “We are truly building a strong future with the opening of this facility.”
Of the three engineering buildings, only one is complete — renovations continue in Building 3, and Building 1 remains a construction zone.
In the new atrium, the development of a donor wall is underway and there are prospects to start an endowment fund to maintain the facility and equipment.
Master of ceremonies Doug Ruth, the dean of the faculty of engineering, glowed with esteem as he opened the program by recalling the long process that preceded the construction of the EITC.
In 1994, the then-dean of engineering Don Shields commissioned a cost analysis study for a new building; by 1997 the U of M commissioned a facility redevelopment study. The vision for the EITC grew out of that study. Funding for this vision was initiated on November 1, 2000, when the Manitoba provincial government announced the provision of $50 million to be directed towards university infrastructure. The provincial government’s contribution was to be the lead gift in the campaign. A fund-matching process was developed in collaboration with the private sector, ultimately bringing in $150 million towards the construction of the EITC.
The ceremony concluded with the ‘ribbon cutting,’ — with wire cutters and chain link — officially ushering in Phase II of the EITC.
