By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

RBC contributes $750,000 to U of L Faculty of Management and AGILITY program

Oct 25, 2016 | 2:08 PM

LETHBRIDGE – A significant announcement for the University of Lethbridge Tuesday morning (Oct. 25), as RBC presented them with a $750,000 gift.

The money will go towards the Faculty of Management and the AGILITY program, specifically within a new family business and small business stream of the program.

AGILITY is a university-wide initiative, designed to nurture entrepreneurial and innovative thinking among students.

“We’re extremely proud to partner with the University of Lethbridge, and it’s really about more than money for us,” stated Mark Brown, RBC Regional Vice President for Alberta South. “We think they have a fantastic record of excellence, not only in our city, but beyond our province and into the country itself.”

He then turned his attention fully to the AGILITY program, saying it was something they absolutely wanted to get behind.

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“It speaks to developing that next layer of innovator, of thinker, of collaborator, that will actually come out into the work world and not have to figure it all out, they’ll have some of it figured out through mentorship, through trial and error and actually through incubation.”

While the money will be used in a variety of areas, Dr. Robert Boudreau, dean of the Faculty of Management, touched on a couple that will really benefit from the extra support.

“It’s going to go to the curriculum build in terms of various courses, so for a minor we have six courses typically, and so from there we’re going to spend energy, time, resources to identify the right folks, some of which we have now, some of which we will hire, that will provide that education for our students.

“We’re planning these various summits or conferences over a period of time, which will provide opportunity and forum for people to come to the U-of-L Faculty of Management, AGILITY programs and so on, to actually be involved in conferences, hearing speakers, providing presentation poster opportunities, and it’s not just for students, it’s for the community as well to come in and see what we’re doing,” Boudreau explained.

He also went on to discuss the importance of the new stream of AGILITY.

“Family and small businesses are a strong foundation of the economy of our region. With RBC’s generous support, students at the University will gain opportunities to explore and understand the unique and differentiating value of family and small businesses so that they can contribute to this economic pillar of southern Alberta communities.”