By Anthony Crozzoli
The Fromagerie on Elgin filled quickly on Sept. 17, as Laurentian University staff and students alike gathered for the official opening of the School of Environment, the latest addition to the Laurentian University family.
Attendees included the newly appointed Director of the School of Environment, Brett Buchanan, as well as Dominic Giroux, President and Vice-Chancellor of LU, and Mayor Mariane Matichuk herself, all of whom warmly welcomed the school to Sudbury and the Laurentian campus.
LU’s School of Environment is staffed with 13 faculty members accounting for its core and 13 additional faculty dual-appointed from several departments.
Five programs will fall under the new school: environmental studies, environmental science, etudes de l’environnement, science communication, and archaeology.
The School of the Environment will be an opportunity for unity between the realms of science and the arts, as both will be key in the hopes of establishing the new school.
The event began with a bilingual introduction and an address from Brett Buchanan. The director thanked all for coming and welcoming the school officially, as well as introducing the two key speakers, President Dominic Giroux, and Mayor Mariane Matichuk.
Giroux said in his speech that through this new school, Laurentian University is poised to take a “leadership role in environmental studies”, and made reference to Sudbury as a rehabilited environment.
Giroux stressed the enhanced learning opportunities for the community and especially students.
Mayor Matichuk thanked President Giroux and the LU staff for their contributions to raising the profile of Sudbury.
“On behalf of city council I am very honoured to be here for opening of the School of the Environment,” said Matichuk. “It is a fantastic day in our city, and also for Laurentian University. This new school is a perfect fit for Sudbury.”
She also said the renewed sustainability of Sudbury has improved since past generations.
Along with the two key speakers, there was also the address by Kati McCartney, the Manager of Energy and Sustainability, Facilities Services.
Mcartney’s position is a new one and one that will bring an accountability to the environment as well as bringing sustainable practices to Laurentian University.
The Talloires Declaration, which Giroux signed at the opening, is “a ten-point action plan to provide awareness on how to create a sustainable environment, educate environmentally responsible citizenship, foster environmental literacy, and practice institutional ecology”.
For more information on the School of Education and its programs, visit laurentian.ca/environmental-studies.
