PR - EnCana Corporation is making a major contribution to the advancement of research on energy and the environment with a $7.5 million donation to the University of Alberta. This is one of the largest  corporate donations to date in the university’s Campaign 2008 and was made in honour of the U of  A’s centenary. The donation establishes the endowed EnCana Scholars Awards and EnCana Research Chairs, one
in water resources and another in environmental engineering. These endowments address the
recognition that supplying energy to future generations will require building a critical mass of
research on energy and the environment.
 
“Our world is continually demanding more energy and Alberta is in a unique position to help. At the
same time, developing our natural gas and oil resources in an environmentally sound manner is
essential. That’s why we need the collaboration of great institutions like the University of Alberta to
find new and better ways to efficiently develop our resources in a sustainable way,” said Randy
Eresman, EnCana’s President & Chief Executive Officer.
 
“This donation will fund three important endeavors to help attract and support the best and brightest
professors and students who will be advancing knowledge at the intellectual crossroads of energy and
environment. It is hoped that EnCana’s funding today will help the University of Alberta Dare to
Discover and Dare to Deliver on Canada’s goal of becoming a world leader in environmentally
sustainable energy development,” Eresman said.
 
U of A President Indira Samarasekera called the donation truly transformative.
 
“This gift clearly demonstrates EnCana’s commitment to the future of innovation at the University
of Alberta,” said Samarasekera. “This will propel the university to the forefront of energy and
environmental research and will assist us in developing the future leaders in energy-related fields as
we move into our second century. It is the knowledge energy of the EnCana Chairs and Scholars that
will advance research and innovation to the benefit of not just Albertans, but those around the world
who rely on energy generated in Canada.”
 
Of the $7.5-million total, $6 million establishes the research chairs at $3 million each, and $1.5
million endows the EnCana Scholars Awards. 
 
The EnCana Chair in Environmental Engineering will focus on enhancing the understanding of best
practices in a wide range of environmental, social and business arenas, and in communicating this
knowledge broadly beyond the university. 
 
The EnCana Chair in Water Resource Sciences will serve as the catalyst for comprehensively
documenting, analyzing and protecting groundwater systems in Alberta. The U of A is a leader in
developing new ways to assess the impact of industry on water quality.