Office of the President

3-1 University Hall www.ualberta.ca Tel: 780.492.3212 , , Canada T6G 2J9 [email protected] Fax: 780.492.9265

Official Opening – Enterprise Square

15 January 2008 Enterprise Square 10:30 am

I.V. Samarasekera, OC President and Vice-Chancellor

The Honorable Dave Hancock, Minister of Health and Wellness, The Honorable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, His Worship Mayer Stephen Mandel, partners, colleagues, staff, students, alumni, friends and neighbours….

Welcome to 2008, welcome to the University of Alberta’s Centenary, and most especially today, welcome to the official launch of Enterprise Square!

It’s my great pleasure to welcome the community back into one of Edmonton’s treasured historical landmarks. Today marks the reawakening of a vital and historically significant block on Jasper Ave. I am also very pleased to have this opportunity thank our government partners, without whose strong, foundational support we would not be here today.

Edmonton’s downtown is in a period of crucial transformation. With every passing month, increasing numbers of people are working in and moving into the heart of the city, bringing into the centre of Edmonton the cultural, economic and intellectual energy fuelling the prosperity felt throughout the province.

Such revitalization is not happening by chance. It is the result of creative and collaborative thinking of the kind that brought Enterprise Square into being.

When the University of Alberta first realized that redevelopment of the old Hudson’s Bay Building could play an exciting role in achieving our future goals in learning, discovery, entrepreneurship, and community engagement, we hoped that it would also become a stellar example of collaboration across three orders of government.

We knew that by preserving the historic nature of the Bay Building that we would, at the same time, be able to accelerate future development in a number of ways that could benefit Edmontonians, Albertans, and .

We saw that it could play a key role in the rejuvenation of Edmonton’s downtown community, especially as a facility that would be open beyond normal office hours, bringing a large, new group of people—U of A students, faculty and staff—downtown.

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It would increase the University’s enrolment and program capacity and push forward federal and provincial goals for growth in post-secondary education. It would also help to speed innovation in science and technology, and research and development—central goals of government as well.

Through the relocation of TEC Edmonton -- the University’s partnership with the city’s Edmonton Economic Development Corporation -- into the core of the business district, it would accelerate the commercialization of research discoveries and ideas by increasing synergies between faculty inventors and the business community.

And it would be an important instigator of diversification—not only throughout the business and educational communities but also the arts and culture sector. Community development and quality of life—so important to all of us – government and citizens alike—are two of the many benefits of redeveloping the old Bay Building.

Through the alignment of such key goals, the University and all orders of government saw a great opportunity for collaboration in the project.

The financial support we have received from the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and the City of Edmonton has been absolutely critical to success of this project. This collaboration among three orders of government and the University shows what is possible when we work together to advance the strategic, best interests of our shared community, as well as our individual needs.

At the heart of Enterprise Square—both figuratively and literarily—we find “community.”

From the earliest days of the U of A, our first president, Henry Marshall Tory often remarked that the modern university exists not for itself but for the uplifting and the benefit of whole people. In 1908, Edmonton’s citizens were more than a little disgruntled to find out that the University of Alberta would be not be located in town but instead across the river in Strathcona.

Today, after 100 years, the distance between the north and south sides of the river may not be as great as it was, but nevertheless, the fact that the University has finally crossed the bridge and found a place in the heart of the city is very significant.

While this project has preserved an important piece of Edmonton’s and western Canada’s history, Enterprise Square is, at the same time, a sign of the future. Enterprise Square is a visible symbol of the University’s strong ties to the community and our commitment to community engagement and citizenship that underpins our vision.

Our goal is that Enterprise Square will become a vibrant gathering place through the teaching and learning activities of the Faculty of Extension and School of Business, the outreach activities of our International Office and of Alumni Affairs, and the commercialization activities of TEC Edmonton.

We also envision a new period of partnership-building. We expect that Enterprise Square will be the site of many productive and inventive relationships with various community organizations, of the kind that we have forged with the Art Gallery of Alberta and Citytv.

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And let me thank these two organizations for working with us so enthusiastically. Let me also take a moment to thank all of their employees, as well as my colleagues from the University, who have been so patient through the noise and disruption of the renovations.

I had the pleasure of announcing the university’s plans for the Bay Building shortly after I began my term as president and so today is especially meaningful to me.

Because of this project, right from the very beginning of my time in Edmonton, I have felt the incredible support that the community has for the University of Alberta.

In closing I would like to make special mention of several people who behind the scenes were crucial to this project. My thanks go to Don Hickey, VP Facilities and Operations and Al Maurer, Manager of the City of Edmonton. Thanks also to Gary Kachanowski, former VP Research, Carl Amrhein, Provost and VP(Academic), Phyllis Clark, VP (Finance and Administration), and Sandra Conn, VP External Relations because this was truly a team effort.

I would also like to express my appreciation to Oryssia Lennie and Doug Maley, WED, Brian Manning, DM Finance, Govt. of Alberta, and Edmonton MPs, , Rahim Jaffer, Laurie Hawn, Mike Lake, and Ken Epp for their support. There are many others who have worked behind the scenes to make this event possible and I thank you all for the efforts to make this project and opening event an enormous success.

On behalf of the whole University, let me thank once again Minister Hancock from the Government of Alberta, Minister Ambrose from the Government of Canada, and Mayor Mandel. Without your partnership, this spectacular new centre for learning, research, discovery and innovation would still be a mere dream.

Thank you.

15 Jan 08