Engineering Manitoba’s future

IIn high school, Ria Sagert knew she wanted to work on environmental issues. What she had to figure out was how. 

At UM, she found civil engineering, where her interest in the environment could move into design and real-world problem solving.

“I like the idea of being able to really make an impact,” Sagert says.

As the province’s only provider of accredited undergraduate engineering programs, UM plays a central role in preparing the engineers Manitoba needs. A strong pipeline of engineering talent is essential to Manitoba’s future, ensuring more highly skilled, career-ready graduates are prepared to meet the province’s evolving needs. A $20 million gift from UM alumni Gerry Price [BSc(ME)/70, MSc/72, PhD/76 (Lehigh), LLD(Hon)/17] announced in 2020, is helping create that capacity.

Through their generous donation, Gerry and his wife Barbara Price created seven endowed faculty positions, increasing the faculty’s capacity to educate more undergraduate engineering students. In recognition of their transformational gift, the faculty was renamed the Price Faculty of Engineering. The Price family and group of companies has a long history of supporting UM through gifts for scholarships, Indigenous students through the Engineering Access Program (ENGAP), women in graduate engineering and the Price Engineering Innovation and Prototype Centre.

Today, their investment has already created room for more than 450 additional students to pursue engineering at UM.

“The gift from Gerry and Barbara Price has been transformational for the Price Faculty of Engineering. It has allowed us to open our doors to more Manitoba students who want to study here—25% more!” says Marcia Friesen, Dean of the Price Faculty of Engineering. “We know that Manitoba companies rely on the University of Manitoba to educate engineers who are the next generation of talent for our economy, and this gift has measurably increased our ability to meet that need.”

“I see engineers as being the fuel that enables businesses to be successful in a challenging world,” Gerry Price says. “It’s fundamentally important to our local economy and to the lives of young Manitobans that we have the capacity at UM to educate those who want to stay here, get their education here and ultimately work here."

For Sagert, studying engineering has also meant having the chance to discover where she wants her education to take her. Now in her fourth year, she has explored different areas of civil engineering, found a strong community within the faculty and gained real-world experience through co-op placements. Those experiences have shown her how important it is for students to have the opportunity to explore.

 “I think it’s really important to retain Manitoba talent,” Sagert says. “There are a lot of young people here who are capable and interested in engineering. It’s important they have the opportunity to pursue engineering, but also discover what they want within engineering.”

For students like Sagert, philanthropy is creating opportunities to learn, grow and prepare for meaningful careers. By preparing more skilled, career-ready engineers, that impact reaches far beyond individual students, strengthening Manitoba for generations to come.