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TRU gets $2 million private support

Kristian Rasmussen - Omega Contributor

TRU received its largest private donation ever—of $2 million—from some very generous friends. Mark and Ellen Brown pledged the massive contribution to help build TRU’s environmentally-friendly House of Learning center at the 18th annual TRU Foundation gala.

Mark Brown, the President of Northern Trailer, told a packed house of 350 people that, “it is our hope that this gift to TRU will make a difference through education to many people in this community and our region.”

Brown went on to comment that, “we have never lost sight of the employees, and the community of Kamloops that have helped to make our business successful; this is our way of thanking the people of this community and the province for their role in our success.”

TRU president Roger Barnsley said the gift will have a tremendous impact on students.

“This is a very important facility and the gift of the Brown’s essentially brings together the fundraising.”

The president of TRU could not hide his admiration for the couple.

“I’m in awe of people like this; we really have to be humbled by the Brown’s generosity.”

According to TRU’s vice-president of advancement, Christopher Seguin, the Kamloops couple has initially donated $1.25 million to the building of the new facility. The remaining $750,000 will be dispersed over five years with annual reviews of the needs of the university.

Seguin was equally impressed with the generosity of the Browns.

“They really do feel a strong sense of civic responsibility; we are really happy they are showing such leadership in these hard economic times.”

The Browns are not alone in their immense generosity. Despite the inhospitable financial climate, TRU has received two of its largest private donations back-to-back in the past two years. Retired Oakalla Farm prison guard Alvin Grunert made TRU’s then largest donation of $1.5 million toward a student scholarship fund.

The total cost of the new facility and library is $32 million. The Province has invested $18 million and TRU itself has invested $5 million, which left a remaining $9 million for fundraising. Various private donations have basically taken care of fundraising; $1.25 million is left on the bill after the Browns’ significant contribution.

The House of Learning is 63,000 square feet and is built to Canada’s LEED program standards. LEED stands for leadership in energy and environmental design. The facility is built to meet special requirements in water management, site sustainability, energy efficiency, building material selection and indoor environment quality standards. When construction is complete the site will include the new library, learning commons and a special program area for First Nations students.

Diamond and Schmitt, the award-winning architecture firm responsible for the design of the new facility is world renowned for their projects which include: the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg Russia, The Montreal Symphony Orchestra concert hall, The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts and the Vancouver Life Sciences Centre.