Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon speaks to faculty and students about changes planned for the Ivy League school Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, in Hanover, N.H. New Brunswick businessman Arthur Irving has helped to fund the launch of an energy institute at Dartmouth College. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)The Associated Press
New Brunswick businessman Arthur Irving has helped to fund the launch of an energy institute at Dartmouth College, a leading U.S. Ivy League university.
Mr. Irving, chairman of Saint John-based Irving Oil Ltd., is providing a lead gift of $80-million (U.S.), funded by himself, his wife Sandra Irving, his daughter Sarah Irving, the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation and by Irving Oil.
The college said it has received total donations of $113-million to help launch the new Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society.
Dartmouth, based in Hanover, N.H., is aiming to raise a total of $160-million for the institute.
The new centre has a mandate to train future generations of "energy leaders" and advance research and knowledge about future energy issues, the college said in a release.
Dartmouth president Phil Hanlon said future success in generating sustainable forms of energy "will shape life in coming decades" and requires "a multidimensional approach that integrates science, technology, public policy, geopolitics and business."
Mr. Irving said in a statement the new institute will differentiate Dartmouth as a leader in the field of energy studies.
"The world of energy is ever-changing and we all have an important role to play," he said. "Dartmouth has long committed to the study of some of the world's most pressing problems and to making a difference."
Janet McFarland