Investments for northern students big part of Cameco's $10M gift to USask
Cameco is demonstrating its commitment to northern Saskatchewan through a $10 million donation to the University of Saskatchewan’s Be What the World Needs Campaign.
“At Cameco, we are incredibly proud to provide this gift to the University of Saskatchewan, which is the largest single donation in Cameco’s history.” Cameco president and CEO Tim Gitzel says.
In addition to developing a talent pipeline of qualified scientists and engineers, Cameco’s investment in USask has the potential to advance the mining and nuclear energy landscape in Saskatchewan and beyond as the world seeks sustainable energy solutions.
This gift has a particular focus on fostering northern and Indigenous students’ interest in STEM disciplines, starting from the earliest learners in kindergarten through to graduate students and researchers. This includes:
- The Cameco STEM Pathways Program Initiative at the USask Prince Albert Campus
- Northern Saskatchewan Science Ambassador Program for elementary students
- Indian Teacher Education Program
- Cameco Northern and Indigenous Scholarships, Bursaries and Experiential Learning Fund
“This gift will support so many students in our province, especially northern and Indigenous students, interested in pursuing STEM disciplines that can lead to careers in mining, nuclear and other related industries,” Gitzel says.
“This multi-disciplinary investment will not only benefit engineering and geology programs but will also advance research in public policy, energy management and sustainability. We need to foster today’s students to be tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and builders and we believe Cameco’s investment in USask will help achieve that goal.”
Over the past two decades, Cameco gave more than $8.5 million to USask for a variety of programs, including Indigenous health research, development of northern communities, student scholarships, research chairs, women in STEM, and Huskies events. Cameco will build on this by continuing to support student success through scholarships, work placement programs and a future fund for USask/Cameco initiatives.
Cameco has decades of rich history in Saskatchewan, and USask is proud to have a grown-in-Saskatchewan success story aligned with Cameco’s work. With this recent gift, Cameco’s giving to USask now totals $18.5 million.
The $10 million donation also continues Cameco’s proud tradition of empowering northern Saskatchewan communities and residents.
Cameco, along with Orano, has invested $1.6 billion through collaboration agreements since 2012. Cameco also worked with Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies to develop a pilot trades training program this year.