UBC alumnus Dr. Stewart Blusson has donated $50 million to the university,
a gift believed to be the largest single donation ever made to a Canadian public
institution by an individual or corporation.
“It is an extraordinary gift not simply because of the amount, but because
Dr. Blusson has granted us the privilege of allocating the money specifically
to research and academic excellence,” says UBC President Martha Piper.
Blusson, a geologist and diamond explorer, completed his Bachelor of Science
degree at UBC and is now principal shareholder in Archon Minerals Ltd., a mining
exploration company based in Vancouver.
“The most important research is often the most basic research, which the public
often doesn’t get excited about because by itself, it’s simply another piece
of the puzzle,” says Blusson.
Blusson says his donation was motivated in part by the federal government’s
creation last year of the $800-million Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
fund.
Designed to help universities, colleges and hospitals upgrade their research
facilities, the CFI is a five-year program that covers 40 per cent of the cost
of facilities, with the remainder coming from the public and private sectors.
Blusson wants a substantial portion of his $50-million gift used to attract
CFI funding. This strategy brings the value of the gift to about $150 million
over four years.
The donation will not be used for salaries, administration or operations,
but rather will support the funding of infrastructure and equipment that will
help take UBC to a new level of research and academic excellence in the 21st
century, says Piper.
UBC’s current annual research budget is about $130 million.
“Dr. Blusson fervently hopes that his gift encourages others to make donations
not only to UBC but to universities and research institutions in Canada,” says
Piper. “It is his firm belief that collectively we can and must improve the
level of research and academic excellence across the country.”
Blusson worked with the Geological Survey of Canada, leading regional geological
mapping and research programs in the central Yukon and parts of B.C.
His knowledge of geology led him to conclude that conditions for Canadian
diamond deposits were favorable.
By following trails left when the glaciers melted, Blusson discovered a diamond-bearing
kimberlite pipe in 1991 in the Lac Gras area north of Yellowknife.
