|
(Wolfville,
NS) - Acadia University today officially opened the newly
renovated facilities for the Centre for Organizational Research &
Development (COR&D) with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its 24
Highland Avenue location in Wolfville.
Acadia University
president Dr. Gail Dinter-Gottlieb and the Honourable David Morse,
Nova Scotia Minister of Community Services, were in attendance to
celebrate the new facilities, which were made possible with $132,508
in funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Nova
Scotia Research and Innovation Trust and various suppliers.
“Funding partnerships
between Acadia, the federal and provincial governments, and key
suppliers have been vital to Acadia’s growing research capacity,”
said Dr. Gail Dinter-Gottlieb, President and Vice-Chancellor of
Acadia University. “The provincial government has played a
significant role in supporting research at Acadia University over
the last four years with $1.4 million spent on new research
infrastructure. Through ongoing investments in research
infrastructure, through the Nova Scotia Research and Innovation
Trust and Nova Scotia Economic Development, Acadia can continue to
expand the impact of research conducted on campus.”
The COR&D conducts
research in partnership with educational and health-care
organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe to support
human resource needs and enhance the quality of life for employees.
The founder and director of the COR&D, Dr. Michael Leiter, is a
Canada Research Chair in Organizational Health and Well-Being, an
organizational psychologist and author. He is considered one of the
world’s leading experts on job stress and burnout and is co-author
of the most widely read book on burnout -- Preventing Burnout and
Building Engagement. His latest book on job stress, entitled
Banishing Burnout, was launched today during the official opening of
COR&D.
“The research
conducted at the COR&D is of practical importance in our busy
working world, particularly to private businesses and public-sector
organizations eager to improve employee productivity,” said Dr.
Leiter. “By providing a better understanding of the relationship
between people and their work, organizations can prevent employee
burnout and build engagement with work.”
Currently, Dr. Leiter
is leading a Health Canada funded project in collaboration with
Capital Health and other researchers to study workplace issues for
nurses in hospitals across Atlantic Canada. He is also developing an
ongoing education strategy for employees in the Nova Scotia
Continuing Care sector. As well, COR&D is working with an
international relief agency to enhance their strategies for
maintaining field workers’ engagement under difficult circumstances.
Over the last four
years, Acadia and its researchers have received 11 Canada Foundation
for Innovation awards, eight of which have received matching funds
from the Nova Scotia Government through the Nova Scotia Research and
Innovation Trust and Nova Scotia Economic Development. The total
value of new research equipment and infrastructure at Acadia as a
result of these investments is $5.8 million.
“The investments the
Nova Scotia government has made in COR&D and other research
initiatives at Acadia University are important because of the
economic benefits of the academic skills linked to this province’s
large university sector,” said the Honourable David Morse, Kings
South MLA. “The provincial government continues to be impressed by
the research advancements made at Nova Scotia universities and
recognizes the impact this research can make on the global
community.”
Acadia University, in
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been recognized as one of Canada’s
premier undergraduate institutions. With its nationally and
internationally recognized research initiatives, small class sizes
and technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers
students an experience that includes academic achievement combined
with personal growth and development. For more information about
Acadia, visit our website at
www.acadiau.ca.
-30-
|
