Victoria Silman | News Editor
Feature Image: A new building has been added to Schulich with hopes of bettering student experiences. | Courtesy of YFile
York and the Schulich School of Business have opened a new 67,000 square-foot building in hopes of stimulating learning with new and innovative technologies, and spaces.
The Rob and Cheryl McEwan Graduate Study and Research Building, named after the long-time Schulich supporters, took 30 months to build, and officially opened on January 10. Rob McEwan, chairman and CEO of McEwan Mining, earned an MBA at Schulich, before founding the highly successful mining company.
Designed by Baird Sampson Neuert Architects, the building features a 27-metre glass chimney to provide natural ventilation, along with a variety of other features intended to reduce its carbon footprint.
Dean of Schulich, Dezsö J. Horváth, outlined the benefits of the new building. “The opening of the Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building moves our School to the next level in terms of world-class research capability and graduate programming,” he says.
“The building will help us graduate future business leaders. It will help us attract world-class researchers. Most importantly, it will be home to our Centres of Excellence—areas of research, teaching and outreach such as responsible business, real estate and infrastructure, and global enterprise where we are among the leading schools in the world.”
The centre is also intended to drive research in upcoming fields, including business analytics and artificial intelligence.
The project racked up a bill of $50 million, funded in part by the federal government, who provided $15 million through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, as well as $35 million from Schulich’s Leading Change fundraising campaign. The campaign brought in the hefty donation from the McEwans, who donated $8 million towards the project.
According to the McEwans, their hope for the building is to bring innovative learning for student success. In a release provided by the university, they state: “It is our hope that this building will inspire an explosion of collaborative research, innovation, and unique student learning experiences.
“This is an incredible building, sustainable, and state-of-the-art in so many ways, and a perfect reflection of Schulich’s standing as a world-class centre of management learning.”
Dean Horváth adds the new building will bring Schulich to the forefront of research in business. “We truly believe this building will continue to keep Schulich ahead of the curve, and at the forefront of management education and research for many years to come,” he says.
