Saint John, NB - Jack Irving has presented $1-million from Irving Oil and its associated companies, including Ocean Steel, to the University of New Brunswick’s Forging Our Futures campaign. This donation adds to UNB’s fundraising goal and will be specifically directed to help students at the Saint John campus.

 

“Irving Oil and UNB both have long histories in New Brunswick,” said John McLaughlin, President and Vice-Chancellor. “Both the company and its employees have earned a reputation for directly involving themselves with organizations that transform lives, and their commitment to supporting innovation in New Brunswick is once again made clear through this gift to the Forging our Futures campaign.”

 

“Our companies, including Ocean Steel, have a long relationship with the University of New Brunswick,” said Jack Irving, who received an honourary Doctor of Letters degree from the Saint John campus in 2001. “Many of the people working with us are UNB graduates, and each year we are committed to hiring new graduates and employing co-op students from the University. The University plays a key role in building our community and improving our community’s quality of life, and we’re very proud to support them.” As a major employer in Saint John, and a strong believer in the community’s growth potential, Irving Oil is committed to supporting the University’s efforts to develop existing talent and attract new talent into the community.

 

“Irving Oil’s faith in Saint John and their trust in UNB as places where new ideas can be developed to benefit local, regional and national communities is both heartening and gratefully accepted,” said Kathryn Hamer, Vice-President (UNB Saint John). “Irving Oil has been a valued partner of UNB Saint John over the years through investments in our biology research and scholarship programs along with their cooperation with our researchers. We know that Irving Oil and its associate companies employ many UNB graduates, and we’re particularly proud of the fact that almost the entire senior management team at Ocean Steel are UNB graduates.”

 

Forging Our Futures is the most important development campaign in UNB's more-than-200-year history. It will make strategic investments in students, faculty, facilities and programs.

The campaign will strengthen UNB's position as a national university that is fundamentally important to the economic, social and cultural well-being of the province, the region and the country. This donation will significantly contribute to the success of the Forging Our Futures campaign and the future of the University.

Founded in 1924, Irving Oil is the regional refining and marketing company serving customers in Eastern Canada and New England. The Ocean Steel Construction Group has been in business for over 50 years, and designs, fabricates and installs concrete and steel products for buildings, bridges and other civil and industrial applications throughout Atlantic Canada and the Eastern United States.