The Retirees' Newsletter

The Retirees's Association ( Faculty, Librarian, Administrator), University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Vol X I , No. 2, June 2001

Campus News

Government of Canada Announcement

Industry Minister Brian Tobin and Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray will be announcing a major investment in four new Networks of Centres of Excellence to support research and knowledge transfer on issues directly affecting all Canadians. This is the result of an earlier call for applications in these subject areas: The Automobile of the 21st Century; Genomics Technologies and Society; Meeting Environmental Challenges for Clean Water; and Early Child Development and Its Impact on Society. The event was held at the Centre for Automotive Research and Education, which is in the former Lucien Beaudoin School on California Avenue south of Wyandotte.

Windsor Gets Auto21,

$23-million for Automotive R&D

To New Federal NEC

MEET THE FUTURE: MP and Windsor alum Susan Whelan, Industry Minister Brian Tobin and Deputy Prime Minister Herb Gray spoke with engineering students following the landmark announcement of federal support for automotive research and development in Canada made at the University of Windsor yesterday.

The University of Windsor will be the host for a federal Network of Centres of Excellence (NEC) in the Automobile in the 21st Century, to be known as AUTO21.

Industry Minister Brian Tobin announced that AUTO21 will receive Government of Canada investment totalling $23.113-million over four years.

University of Windsor President Ross Paul called the announcement a milestone for the university and a testament to Windsor faculty and students who have worked with the automotive industry in recent years.

"We are heartened by the support of our many sister institutions who joined our consortium for the AUTO21 proposal that has received the backing of Minister Tobin and our colleagues in the research granting councils," Dr. Paul said. "And I want to publicly acknowledge and congratulate Dr. Peter Frise for his dedication in leading the initiative to form the consortium of 26 universities and for his vision which runs through their successful submission."

Mr. Tobin's announcement at the UofW Centre for Automotive Research and Education on California Avenue outlined $73.3 million in federal government support for four new networks of centres of excellence over the next four years. The others involve water quality (host Waterloo), language and literacy (host Western Ontario) and stem cell genomics (host Ottawa hospital). (For more information, go to http://www.nce.gc.ca)

The successful submission lead by Dr. Frise, the DaimlerChrysler Canada / NSERC Chair in Mechanical Design, involves 26 universities and 70 industries. Dr. Frise said AUTO21 "recognizes the University of Windsor's leadership in automotive research and development in Canada and cements our position as the leading provider of automotive engineering talent for the industry."

For more on AUTO21, go to http://www.uwindsor.ca/auto21.

$1.25 Million in NSERC Grants

To Windsor; Large Portion

Will Support Graduate Students

Grants for research at the University of Windsor from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) that were announced recently will total $1,250,316. This is $500,000 higher than last year.

In addition, NSERC is awarding $582,540 more for new equipment to carry out some of those projects.

In all, 40 researchers at Windsor were successful in their applications to NSERC for support this year. That's up from 31 in 2000.

The announcement made by Industry Minister Brian Tobin points out that the professors who receive NSERC grants dedicate a large portion of those funds to training the next generation of Canadian undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. Grants worth $346 million are being awarded over five years to more than 2,500 university professors across Canada. The full announcement is at http://www.nserc.ca/news/2001/p010509.htm

The full list of grants to Windsor researchers is at http://www.nserc.ca/programs/result/2001/rg/wind.htm Here are examples:

Universities Commend Government

For its Multi-year Commitment

To Full Funding for Increased Enrolment

The Council of Ontario Universities says recent budget announcement that the government will "increase operating grants to colleges and universities by an estimated $293 million by 2003-04, directly proportional to the projected enrolment growth." is an assurance of full funding for increased enrolment. This provides Ontario universities with the assurance they need to begin hiring the professors to meet the surge in demand for university education that is just around the corner.

"The commitment to full funding for increased enrolment demonstrates that the Government of Ontario recognizes the importance of investing in students. This commitment will enable universities to plan for the longer term, hire faculty, and develop strategic plans that would otherwise be beyond the scope of single-year budget planning.

In addition to the operating funds announcement the government provided $100 million to address maintenance costs for physical facilities. "The investment in maintenance will allow universities to improve the physical environment for our students and researchers.


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