Clayton H. Riddell, the namesake of the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, is donating $2.5 million to the University of Manitoba to construct a new floor atop the Faculty’s main building.

“The opportunity for U of M to become the leader in Arctic Research is very exciting. The addition of the Nellie Cournoyea Arctic Research Facility recognizes a great Canadian whose tireless efforts have and continue to benefit the North and its residents,” says Clayton Riddell.

The Wallace Building will become five storeys as a floor is added to house new specialized laboratories and classrooms needed to accommodate the influx of graduate students and researchers that will come to the University as a result of a new $10-million Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Arctic Geomicrobiology and Climate Change that was announced today.

In addition to the new chair, Søren Rysgaard, and the 17 researchers already involved in sea ice research, the University will invest in three new tenure track faculty positions, post-doctoral and research associate positions, graduate students and support staff. The Faculty’s Centre for Earth Observation Science will more than double in size to over 100 people.

“Our Faculty was created just seven years ago with a mission to study the environment, Earth materials, processes and history as well as human interactions with the Earth.  Through significant investments from governments, the University, former students and friends like Dr. Riddell, it has become one of the world’s premier institutes conducting outstanding research, teaching and outreach on the future of our environment,” Norman Halden, Dean of the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources, said.

The new $8-million, 60,000-square-foot floor will be named the Nellie Cournoyea Arctic Research Facility, after Nellie Cournoyea, an Officer of the Order of Canada and the first female premier of a Canadian territory: she was the leader of the Northwest Territories from 1991 to 1995.

“It is a privilege and a great honour to have been recognized in this manner,” says Nellie Cournoyea. “Throughout my life I have been a strong advocate for the advancement of research across the Canadian Arctic that will both enhance the protection of the sensitive Arctic environment and advance economic opportunities for the Aboriginal Peoples and other Canadians who have made these regions their home.  The additional capacity provided through the generous contribution of Dr. Riddell will provide the means to increase both the scope and intensity of this research and will in turn assist in providing us with answers to the many questions and challenges facing our northern regions.”  

Clayton Riddell [BSc(Hons)/59, DSc/04]  is a distinguished geological sciences graduate of the University of Manitoba, and a long-time friend and supporter of his alma mater. Dr. Riddell advised the University of Manitoba during the $237-million Building on Strengths capital campaign and took a leadership role in supporting the construction of the Ed Leith Cretaceous Menagerie. In 2004, the University of Manitoba awarded Riddell an honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of his distinguished career and service to the community.

In 2003, the University of Manitoba’s newest faculty was named the Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources. In support of the faculty, he established the Clayton H. Riddell Endowment Fund with a $10-million gift, which provides unrestricted funding for the priorities of the faculty, including support for students, recruitment and retention of faculty members, and research funding.

“The generosity of our alumni is extraordinary and we are both proud and grateful that our distinguished graduates such has Dr. Riddell continue to show unyielding support for the University and its goals,” said Dr. David Barnard, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba. “Dr. Riddell’s support helps make the University of Manitoba the world leader in Arctic climate change research.”