Ross Beaty
UBC Alumnus Ross Beaty is very involved in supporting the University, donating financial resources, his time and expertise.
Calling minerals “nature’s art,” Ross Beaty chose geology as a profession because of his love for the outdoors. The chairman of Pan American Silver Corp. feels that his UBC education provided a basis for his success in the minerals industry, and is very involved in supporting the university – donating financial resources, and his time and expertise.
“A university should be nurtured and cared for by its alumni,” he says, “and I feel lucky to be able to help with certain aspects of UBC’s growth.”
Two museums at UBC – the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and the Pacific Museum of the Earth – owe their existence to the vision and support of Ross and his wife Trisha. Lately Ross has been instrumental in securing support for the Earth Systems Science Building . This new $75 million facility will house UBC’s earth and ocean sciences department, known for its global leadership in sustainability, research and education and its longstanding ties and remarkable history of contribution to Canada’s mineral industry.
Ross has generously donated funds to the project and has also led the fundraising. With his leadership, more than $20 million has been raised toward the cost of the new building. Ross believes that this project will help to stem a growing labour shortage in the minerals industry by expanding UBC’s ability to educate future generations of highly skilled earth science professionals.
“As an international leader in earth sciences, UBC has helped to shape Vancouver into a world-renowned centre for mineral exploration and development,” Ross says. “Vancouver is home to more mineral resource companies than any other city in the world and further creation of opportunities for future geologists, geophysicists, geochemists and geological engineers is critical to sustaining BC’s – and indeed Canada’s – minerals industry.”
Learn more about the Beaty Biodiversity Centre and the Faculty of Science’s other priority projects.
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