Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera
The India Centre hosts its inaugural India Centre Awards Dinner honouring Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera, former President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Alberta on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at CanadInns Polo Park, 1405 St. Matthews Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Samarasekera will be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of Distinction and is the Keynote speaker at the dinner.
Samarasekeras’ work and community engagement has been extensive during her career. She also was the first woman and first engineer to serve as President at the University of Alberta; she held the Dofasco Chair in Advanced Steel Processing; and received the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship in 1991, awarded by NSERC to the top four researchers under 40 in Science and Engineering in Canada.
“The India Centre is an initiative of the University of Winnipeg and the India Association of Manitoba to promote opportunities in education, economic development, and community-based activities to develop relationships and opportunities between the Indo-Canadian and the larger community of Manitoba,” said Dr. Sylvie Albert, Dean, Business and Economics & Chair of India Centre. “This dinner is a great opportunity for us all to interact with Dr. Indira Samarasekera an eminent personality who is equally a leader and a role-model.”
The dinner also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the India Association of Manitoba (IAM), an important milestone in the life of the organization, as well as, the history of Manitoba. The proceeds from the dinner will go towards future initiatives of the India Centre. More information can be found at the India Centre.
“As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the India Association of Manitoba, India Centre is a logical next step in addressing the needs and expectations of the Indo-Canadian communities and the larger Canadian society,” said Hardev Sandhu, President of the Indian Association of Manitoba. “As our communities mature, there is and will be a need to ensure a catalyst that serves as a bridge and a connector. It is with this in mind that University of Winnipeg and the India Association as partners established the India Centre- Academic, Business & Community Excellence. We must remind ourselves this is and perhaps will always be a work-in-progress”
Tickets are $125 and can be purchased online at India Centre Awards Dinner, or in person by contacting Jessica Adkin at je.adkin@uwinnipeg.ca or 204-982-1170.
On Nov. 6, 2013, the University of Winnipeg and India Association of Manitoba established the India Centre—Academic, Business and Community Excellence. The Centre provides a forum in which the “community and the academy gather to do meaningful work” promoting understanding and opportunities between two liberal-democratic and multicultural societies.
