September 9, 2005 Source: University of British Columbia:
http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2005/mr-05-108.html Scotiabank's $750,000 Gift Fosters Global Links for Canadian and Mexican Students More Canadian and Mexican students can forge international links thanks to a Scotiabank gift of $750,000 to the University of British Columbia and The Monterrey Institute of Technology University System ( Tec de Monterrey). This funding will help defray tuition and housing costs for visiting students at both universities. "This generous gift from Scotiabank will create new learning opportunities that will have a lifelong impact both on the students who participate and on their communities," says UBC President Martha Piper. "It will help those students who experience the rich academic, social, and cultural links between UBC and Tec de Monterrey to gain a new understanding of the meaning and importance of global citizenship," says Piper. "UBC and Tec de Monterrey share a commitment to educating future citizens to think globally," says Rafael Rangel, president of Tec de Monterrey. "We're very excited about providing students with greater access to this unique learning opportunity so that they can enhance their cross-cultural awareness and international understanding," says Rick Waugh, president and CEO, Scotiabank. "We're Canada's most international bank, with a significant presence in Mexico, and we've seen first hand the tremendous benefit that comes with the exchange of ideas, experiences and best practices." UBC and Tec de Monterrey -- Mexico's leading private university -- established the UBC-Tec de Monterrey Joint Academic Program in 2001. Including both academic and housing elements, the program encourages students from both countries to travel and share their distinct cultures. Scotiabank's funding will help students pay for their tuition or living costs. About 100 Tec de Monterrey students are currently at UBC, while 20 UBC students are attending Tec de Monterrey. To date, 480 Mexican and 56 Canadian students have taken part in the joint program. In 2003, UBC and Tec de Monterrey built Tec de Monterrey-UBC House, increasing student residence space on UBC's Vancouver campus by 200 beds for Mexican and Canadian students. Tec students also have the choice of living at other residences on UBC's Vancouver campus.
Background
Scotiabank Scotiabank established a presence in Mexico in 1967 and bought a stake in Grupo Financiero Inverlat in 1992, becoming the first bank in North America to invest in a Mexican bank. Today, Scotiabank Inverlat has more than 400 branches and almost 1,000 ABMs throughout Mexico, and employs almost 7,000 people across the bank. Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which its employees and customers live and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2004 the Bank provided more than $33 million in sponsorships and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas of healthcare, education and social services. Scotiabank is on the World Wide Web at www.scotiabank.com.
Tec de Monterrey Founded in 1943, Tec de Monterrey consists of 33 campuses throughout Mexico, eight representative sites in Latin America, and seven liaison offices throughout the world. A key part of Tec de Monterrey's mission is to educate citizens who are internationally competitive in their professional fields, and who are committed to the political, economic, social and sustainable development of their communities. For more information, visit www.tec.ubc.ca.
International Residences at UBC UBC is unique among Canadian universities in building international residences with academic partners in an effort to further internationalize its Vancouver campus. To date, UBC has three such residences: Tec de Monterrey -- UBC House, Korea University -- UBC House and Ritsumeikan University -- UBC House. It is anticipated that additional international residences will be established in the future. For more information about UBC's international programs, visit: http://www.ubcinternational.ubc.ca/. -30-
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