Inauguration of Concordia University's John Molson School of Business
Building

http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/

MONTREAL , Sept. 22 /CNW Telbec/ - This morning, Concordia University celebrated the highly-anticipated inauguration of the innovative building that is the new home of the John Molson School of Business (JMSB). Attending this morning's ribbon cutting were: Quebec's Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports, Michelle Courchesne , twelve members of the Molson family, Chair of Concordia's Board of Governors, Peter Kruyt , and Concordia's President and Vice-Chancellor, Judith Woodsworth.

The JMSB building will accommodate close to eight thousand students taking courses in its 17 undergraduate and graduate programs. The building houses innovative classroom designs and high-technology teaching aids. It also features a solar wall, unique in the world, which harnesses solar energy to produce both electric power and heated air. All 17 floors, including 2 underground levels, offer wireless internet access. The building was completed on schedule and delivered at $118.5 million , below its projected budget of $120 million .

"This building now proudly stands as a symbol of the excellence in research and teaching that has earned the JMSB its reputation around the world," says Dr. Judith Woodsworth . "We are grateful for the leadership of the Molson family and the generosity of the Quebec government and of countless donors who laid the foundation for this magnificent new building."

"We are proud to have this building bear the name of our ancestor" says Eric H. Molson, Chairman Emeritus of Molson Coors Brewing Company and Chancellor Emeritus of Concordia University . "John Molson was an entrepreneur who founded the brewery that thrives to this day but he was also a philanthropist who helped build railways, hospitals and other institutions in Montreal and across Canada . Concordia's business school now honours his entrepreneurial legacy through its academic excellence and the contributions of its alumni across the globe."

The seed was planted for the creation of this magnificent building back in November 2000 when the Molson Family Foundation made an initial gift of $10 million dollars to Concordia University . The generosity of the Molson family went even further; they bestowed the name of their ancestor, John Molson, on the university's business school. This completed the transformation of an already prestigious faculty into what is now one of Canada's leading business schools. A second $10 million donation from the Molson Foundation in 2006, a $5 million gift from Molson Coors Canada , along with a remarkable $60 million contribution from the Quebec Government also helped galvanize the support of numerous business leaders and individuals - many of them proud graduates of Concordia- who have contributed several million dollars to the new building fund.

    
    For more information on the John Molson School of Business and the
    features of its new building, please click here:
    http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/pdf/JMSB_Building_InfoENG.pdf

    For details about the building's leading-edge solar wall, please click
    here: http://mediarelations.concordia.ca/pdf/Solar_PanelsENG.pdf
    

For further information: Fiona Downey, Media Relations Advisor, Concordia University, [phone] Ext.2518, Cell.: [phone]