Niagara University has received a $1.5 million gift that will be used to support the momentum Niagara has achieved in strengthening its binational presence.
The university recently opened an additional location in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, giving Canadian students and alumni a place to call their Niagara University home and providing opportunities to better serve them with the culture, resources, and supports necessary for success in Niagara’s mission-based academic programs. This gift, from Canadian business leaders and philanthropists, the Cortellucci family, will be used to continue Niagara’s Ontario initiative.
“On behalf of the students, staff, and faculty, I offer my heartfelt gratitude for the Cortelluccis' continued faith in Niagara University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission,” said the Rev. James Maher, C.M., Niagara University president. “Niagara University has a 35-year legacy of preparing students for personal and professional success as teachers and educational leaders in Ontario. This gift will enable us to continue to mentor generations of compassionate, dedicated, and successful graduates into the workplace, guided by our Vincentian mission and values.”
“We are honoured and thrilled to be supporting Niagara University find its home in Vaughan,” said the Cortellucci family in a statement. “To be the first university in the York region is an achievement and will allow for the empowerment of Vaughan’s citizens through higher education. The addition of an institution of this calibre strengthens the community. Niagara University will not only attract talented and bright individuals to Vaughan, but help in fostering the citizens already in the area. It is an exciting and transformative time for the city and we are here to support this continued growth and vision for a vibrant Vaughan downtown.”
Since 1984, Niagara University has offered programs in Ontario which operate under the written consent of the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. In January, classes started in Vaughan for the more than 300 students who are enrolled in its Niagara University in Ontario education programs.