Cenovus Energy invests $2 million to business and engineering programs

Cenovus Energy has invested $2 million into the University of Alberta’s engineering and business programs.

The Engineering Student Success Centre is being renamed to the Cenovus Energy Engineering Student Success Centre. The centre, which has been around since 2019, provides tutoring and mock exams for first-year physics, math, chemistry, and engineering students.

The investment will also start the Cenovus Energy Impact Series in the Alberta School of Business. It will consist of a series of courses that students can take over four years. The courses are “focused on tackling real-world challenges underway in the local community,” the press release from the U of A said.

Additionally, the investment will go towards supporting experiential learning opportunities. 

On October 1, the U of A held an event celebrating the investment.

Tran Nguyen, a third-year business student, said at the event that for her, “experiential learning has always been a bridge between theory and practice.” 

“In the classroom, I learn about frameworks, morals, and strategies, but it is the only way I step outside of those walls and into case competitions, workshops, and community challenges that I can feel the power of that knowledge,” she said.

She said that experiential learning has also helped her discover many pathways for her passion even before she graduates.

Nguyen said that without gifts like this from Cenovus, some students would not be able to take part in conferences, workshops, or case competitions due to financial barriers. 

“We hopefully will benefit through those streams into Cenovus,” Newman says

“We’re enhancing the learning experiences available on campus as we cultivate the next generation of leaders in energy,” Candace Newman, a senior vice-president (people services) with Cenovus, said at the event.

She said the Cenovus Energy Engineering Student Success Centre will be a hub for students connecting with academic supports and to share ideas.

“They’ll have access to that tutoring, review session, and all the resources that we need to foster innovation and excel academically,” Newman said.

Newman also said Cenovus is excited for the Cenovus Impact Series.

“These courses will ensure your students are ready to hit the ground running when they graduate, start working with Cenovus, but really anywhere in the industry,” she said. 

“We also recognize that the most important learning for students happens outside the classroom,” Newman explained. “So, as part of this investment, we’re providing funding for students to attend conferences and workshops.” 

“[Students] are the innovators and the problem solvers and the leaders of tomorrow,” she said.

“We hopefully will benefit through those streams into Cenovus,” Newman said.

Faculty of engineering working to re-affirm ties to the energy industry

Simaan AbouRizk, the dean of the faculty of engineering, said the gift comes as the faculty of engineering is undertaking a “comprehensive renewal of our undergraduate programs.”

“We are building the programs from the ground up,” he said. “We’re taking this comprehensive renewal to modernize, to make the programs more flexible and more agile to serve our economy better, the serve our industry better.”

He said that what they envisioned as a five-year journey is now possible because of Cenovus’ investment.

“This partnership also symbolizes something larger: the renewed presence of Alberta’s energy industries on our campus after a quieter decade,” AbouRizk said.

“Cenovus is leading the way, re-affirming the strong ties between the energy industry and our university.”