Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor,

To clarify Donovan Maudsley’s (2B Mechanical) November 18, 2015 article on the Engineering 7 groundbreaking, the Educating the Engineer of the Future campaign’s total goal is $70 million. Only $45 million of that is destined for E7 construction, which in itself will cost $88 million when completed in September 2018.  The campaign fundraising is for a greater vision than just a much-needed building; our goal is to raise $11.5 million to fund student activities, plus $10 million to establish Research Chairs in emerging technologies and finally, raise $3.5 million more to support graduate scholarships. Of the $55 million currently raised through private sector donations, $36 million of it is being directed towards E7 construction, with the rest directed towards student experience, establishing Chairs, and graduate support.  We still have a long way to go to achieve our campaign goal of $70 million and pay for the $88 million Engineering 7 construction. The logical question to ask is “why not just fundraise $113 million, which would be enough to cover the $88 million building costs plus the other three areas of priority?”  The simple answer is the vast bulk of money raised comes from our Engineering alumni, as well as few friends of Waterloo Engineering and some of our industry partners. Because we are a young University, founded in 1957 and with only 41,000 Engineering alumni, we do not have an unlimited pool of resources to draw upon, and we must carefully establish fundraising goals that are both realistic and attainable. We are continually humbled by the generosity of our donors who share in Waterloo Engineering’s vision, and we strive to create valuable partnerships with the private sector, industry, and government to help achieve our goals. And yes, Mr. Maudsley is correct, it is “a daunting task for any organization,” but here at Waterloo Engineering we are determined to tackle the challenges that would impact the future of the Faculty..

Sincerely,

Pearl Sullivan

Dean of Engineering

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