Metro donates $1 million to the Université de Montréal and HEC Montréal
January 20, 2015
Metro Inc. today announced that it has donated a total of $1 million to Campus Montréal, the joint fundraising campaign for HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, and the Université de Montréal (UdeM).
A quarter of that amount – $250,000 – will fund research activities at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), and another $250,000 will be used to create two Metro scholarships, one in management at HEC Montréal and one in nutrition at UdeM.
“It’s an honour for Metro to be associated with these prestigious universities,” said Eric R. La Flèche, President and CEO of Metro Inc., “as well as a privilege to participate in the growth of our higher education institutions and, ultimately, in the betterment of society. As Quebec’s second largest employer, we firmly believe that it’s our duty and responsibility to invest in knowledge and in our future generations and leaders.”
“Metro is a valuable contributor to our fundraising campaign and we owe them our heartfelt thanks,” stated UdeM Rector Guy Breton. “This generous donation will support our top researchers in the fight against cancer and our brightest students in nutrition and management; these are three areas that are particularly important to us and have an impact on the development of Quebec society.”
“We thank Metro for creating this scholarship program to promote educational opportunities for academically gifted students,” said Michel Patry, Director of HEC Montréal, “and helping them achieve their dream of becoming the next generation of leaders to help Quebec and Canada manage a thriving economy.”
Metro’s latest donation will be put to immediate use: two UdeM nutritionist students and two HEC Montréal management students will each receive a $2,500 scholarship this year. The scholarships are awarded on an annual basis to financially needy students who maintain a solid academic record. The $250,000 donation to IRIC will enable it to further its research activities and pursue its goals of unravelling the mysteries of cancer and build on an integrated drug discovery chain.
Yves Beauchamp, Vice-Rector, Advancement and Campus Development, Université de Montréal; Dr Michel Bouvier, CEO, IRIC; Guy Breton, Rector, Université de Montréal; Éric R. La Flèche, President and CEO, Metro Inc.; Federico Pasin, Secretary General, HEC Montréal; France Nolin, Head of Clinical Training, Department of Nutrition, Université de Montréal; John Parisella, Executive Director, Campus Montréal.