Aboriginal Scholarship honours Mayor Mandel

FORT MCMURRAY, AB, Oct. 8, 2013 /CNW/ - Aboriginal students attending MacEwan University will benefit from the new Stephen Mandel Aboriginal Business Award, established through an endowment from Syncrude Canada Ltd.

The award was created to recognize and support the efforts led by Edmonton's outgoing mayor. During his nine-year tenure, Mandel established Edmonton as a benchmark among Canadian cities in the area of Aboriginal Relations, receiving recognition from the Canadian Federation of Municipalities and UNESCO.

"Mayor Mandel's commitment to ensuring the long-term success of Aboriginal people living in the Capital Region mirrors Syncrude's long-held vision for Aboriginal people in Alberta," said Scott Sullivan, President and CEO. "On behalf of Syncrude, I would like to personally thank Mayor Mandel for his leadership and all his contributions."

Beginning in 2014, the annual $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to one student who is enrolled full-time or part-time in any program in the School of Business, who provides proof of confirmed First Nations, Metis or Inuit heritage, is in good academic standing and who submits a completed application form including the identification of their community.

For more than 40 years, Syncrude has been working to ensure local Aboriginal people achieve success in all areas that affect quality of life including education, employment, leadership and business. Of Syncrude's total workforce, about 9% of employees are of self-declared First Nations, Metis or Inuit descent, making the company one of Canada's largest employers of Aboriginal people.

Over the past six years, Syncrude has invested close to $4.5 million in Edmonton-based programs that serve northern Alberta. This includes a $250,000 donation to MacEwan University's Bachelor of Science in Engineering Transfer program in 2012.

The Syncrude Project is a Joint Venture undertaking among Canadian Oil Sands Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Oil Sands Partnership, Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership and Suncor Energy Ventures Partnership.

SOURCE: Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Cheryl Robb, Syncrude, 780-717-9638 or Syncrude's website at www.syncrude.com