UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
Cameco gifts $10 million to USask

The transformational $10 million investment from Cameco, a global nuclear fuel and energy company, is one of the largest single gifts announced in USask's Be What the World Needs campaign and builds on a long history of support from Cameco to USask.  

Funding will support an undergraduate Nuclear Fuel Cycle program that will bring together geology, geophysics and engineering, as well as a graduate certificate in Energy and Resource Management that will convene students from across policy studies, law, sustainability, and business. This gift will also foster northern and Indigenous students' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, starting from the earliest learners through the Science Ambassador program and the Cameco STEM Pathways Initiative at the USask Prince Albert Campus. 

"Our supporters, alumni and friends from across Canada and around the world are coming together to invest in USask and in the projects and people who will find solutions to the world's most complex issues," said USask President and Vice-Chancellor Peter Stoicheff. "This generous gift from Cameco will help ensure USask is a leader in energy and mining research and education and builds hope for the economic future of our province." 

In addition to developing a talent pipeline of qualified scientists and engineers, the partnership has the potential to advance the mining and nuclear energy landscape in Saskatchewan and beyond as the world seeks sustainable energy solutions.  

"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," said Cameco President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Gitzel. "This gift will support so many students in our province, especially northern and Indigenous students to pursue STEM disciplines that can lead to careers in mining, nuclear and other related industries. This multi-disciplinary investment will not only reach engineering and geology, 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." 

USask Vice-Provost Indigenous Engagement Dr. Angela Jaime (PhD) is encouraged to see Cameco's gift includes a focus on Indigenous students' interest in STEM disciplines.   

"We are grateful for Cameco's investment in Indigenous students and programs at USask," she said. "It's incredibly important for Indigenous people to see themselves in industry and to ensure they have support through their academics. This gift from Cameco supports both those objectives." 

"As a student, I'd like to thank Cameco for their support," said Christopher Hansen, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at USask. "I chose engineering because it's a chance to make a positive impact on our community by solving real-world problems. The creation of new programs focused on nuclear energy here at USask will have a great impact on our province."  

Cameco's gift will also support a faculty research fund and provide for groundbreaking research and innovation projects through a mining and nuclear energy technology accelerator, in conjunction with OPUS and the Global Institute for Energy, Minerals and Society (GIEMS). GIEMS is a first-of-its-kind, non-profit research centre that will serve as a hub to support clean energy transition by fostering connections between the post-secondary, industry, public, and non-profit sectors. The recently launched centre is jointly supported by USask, the University of Regina and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.  

Over the past two decades, Cameco gave more than $8.5 million to USask for a variety of causes, 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. 

With a $500 million goal, USask's Be What the World Needs campaign is the most ambitious in Saskatchewan's history and Cameco's generous contribution means USask is poised to make a very strong finish when the campaign wraps up June 18, said USask Vice-President University Relations Cheryl Hamelin. 

"Through critical research, Indigenous achievement, inspired students, and visionary spaces, you can look to USask for the future discoveries, ideas, solutions, and the people who will make the world a better place. Donors like Cameco invest in projects that matter to their stakeholders and to the people of Saskatchewan and beyond. Cameco is helping us create impact we never could achieve on our own. We are stronger together."