Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) has made a generous donation of $1.5 million over 10 years to the University of Regina to support undergraduate programming in data science. This includes the creation of a new faculty position in the Faculty of Science - the SGI Assistant or Associate Professor in Data Science. The individual in this position will establish hands-on learning opportunities for students through co-operative work-study and internship programs and lead the development of the new undergraduate degree program in Data Science.
"This donation marks more than 30 years of partnership between the University of Regina and SGI - a partnership which has led to innovative programming and research and hands-on learning opportunities for countless students over the past few decades," said Dr. Jeff Keshen, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Regina. "Our organizations have a shared commitment to Saskatchewan's Growth Plan and developing career-ready graduates in data science to help meet industry demands, and this remarkable and forward-looking enhancement to our academic programming will be of long-term benefit for our students and our province as a whole."
Both the U of R and SGI recognize the province's need for home-grown expertise in the area of data analytics, and qualified graduates in data science are in high demand. With the support of SGI, the U of R is uniquely equipped to provide this programming to post-secondary students, as it is able to draw on its early experience in establishing the relatively recent Master of Science in Data Science program.
"This commitment represents a significant investment in developing data science talent in Saskatchewan," said Dustin Duncan, Minister Responsible for SGI. "SGI is looking to expand its data science capabilities and access graduates with these skills, as data science skills are growing in demand for many companies."
The initial development work on both the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Data Science was also carried out in partnership with SGI through the SGI Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Data Science program. Launched in Fall 2022, the Bachelor of Science in Data Science program has already attracted 13 undergraduate students who have declared Data Science as their major.
