CIM makes commitment to fund U of T program

A 5-year, $100,000 commitment by the Toronto chapters of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) will provide funds for a pair of adjunct professorships for the Geological and Mineral Engineering Program at the University of Toronto.

The two chapters — the Toronto segment of the CIM Mineral Economics Society and the Toronto branch of CIM — recently presented cheques (representing the first instalment) to the dean of the faculty of applied science and engineering.

All of the available funding has been raised by volunteer committee members who organize mining symposia, conferences and branch meetings. The CIM Adjunct Professorship in Mining Engineering will be taught by Charles Pitcher, P.Eng., president of Greater Lenora Resources, and the CIM Adjunct Professorship in Mineral Exploration will be taught by George Kent, P.Eng., president of Glimmer Resources.

Toronto is home to numerous mining companies which are active globally, and the city is a leading mining finance centre; CIM says the university program is able to capitalize on its proximity to the industry by developing courses taught by adjunct professors active on the mining scene.

Professors Steven Scott and Robert McAndrew are the chair and associate chair, respectively, of the program, which is the primary means by which the U of T turns out graduates for the Canadian mining industry.