The Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Seymour Schulich donated 20 million US dollars to the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion. The president of the Technion, Professor Yitzhak Apluig, and the president of the Association of Technion Applicants in Canada, Arnold Ludwig, said that this is one of the largest donations the Technion has received since its founding
The Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Seymour Schulich donated 20 million US dollars to the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion. The president of the Technion, Professor Yitzhak Apluig, and the president of the Association of Technion Applicants in Canada, Arnold Ludwig, said that this is one of the largest donations the Technion has received since its founding, and it is mainly intended for scholarships for students, recruiting new faculty for the faculty and renewing its infrastructure and laboratories. The Canadian Association will raise an additional five million dollars for the faculty's activities.
Professor Apluig announced that the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion will henceforth bear the name of Seymour Schulich. "We are happy and proud of the selection of Seymour Shulich at the Technion, as the first destination for his contributions in Israel," said the president of the Technion, who previously served as dean of the Faculty of Chemistry. "This important contribution will advance the faculty to the forefront of research and teaching in the field of chemistry and will enable it to recruit the best researchers, lecturers and students and position it as the leading chemistry faculty in Israel."
The members of the Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion have so far published more than 2,100 studies in leading scientific journals and registered about 60 patents following their discoveries, from which seven start-up companies have already grown. Graduates of the faculty occupy key positions in the chemical and medical industry in Israel, and in academia.
The dean of the Faculty of Chemistry, Professor Menachem Kottori, emphasized that Seymour Schulich's generous donation will allow the faculty to make a significant upgrade in its infrastructure and laboratories and to award significant scholarships to its outstanding undergraduate and graduate students.
Seymour Schulich, from Toronto, has so far donated tens of millions of US dollars to universities and medical centers in Canada and the USA, such as the School of Business Administration at York University, the School of Engineering at the University of Calgary, the School of Music at McGill University and the School of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario. His contribution to the Technion is the first of his contributions to the State of Israel and the largest he has contributed outside of Canada.
"Seymour Schulich is an extraordinary philanthropist, with a rare vision and commitment to society," said the president of the Technion Volunteers Association in Canada, Arnold Ludwick. "He initiated his contribution to the Technion after a comprehensive examination he conducted, recognizing the importance of the Technion, the leader in the advancement of science and technology in Israel and the world, and the quality of its chemistry faculty. Seymour Shulich's contribution also expresses the importance he sees in supporting the State of Israel, especially in these difficult times."
Seymour Schulich has been engaged in mining and natural resource development for more than 35 years, and is a partner in several mines and gold and oil exploration companies. "Newmont", his leading company, is one of the leading gold mining companies in the world.
The inauguration of the Shulich Faculty of Chemistry will be held at the Technion in early 2007, in the presence of members of the Shulich family, friends of the Technion in Canada and many guests from Israel and abroad.
