High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanaka visits KDU

High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka His Excellency Mr. David McKinnon paid a visit to KDU on 13th January 2022 to participate for a meeting to discuss the possibilities of establishing academic collaborations between KDU and the Canadian higher education institutions with the help of the Canadian mission in Sri Lanka.

KDU is currently in the process of obtaining the approval of the cabinet of ministers to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Calgary, Canada. As part of the initiative, the Vice Provost and Associate Vice President Research (International) from the University of Calgary Prof. Janaka Ruwanpura, also took part in the discussion.

Major General Milinda Peiris, Vice Chancellor of KDU, on his address to the gathering, expressed gratitude to the High Commissioner for his visit to KDU. He stated that the visit will mark the beginning of a new era in the partnership between KDU and the Canadian mission. The Vice Chancellor continued by describing how KDU progressed from its inception in 1981 to its current state. He solicited the high commissioner’s assistance in establishing additional relationships with Canadian institutes.

Appreciating Prof. Ruwanpura’s time spent at KDU, the Vice Chancellor stated that he is a friend of the university and is hopeful about the prospects for a strong collaboration between the university of Calgary and KDU.

In his remarks, Prof. Rwanpura stated potential areas of collaboration with the University of Calgary. He requested that the Vice Chancellor to explore the possibility of establishing a Visiting Chair post at the University of Calgary for a senior scholar.

The meeting was attended by the DVC Defence and Administration, the DVC Academic, the Dean-Faculty of Graduate Studies, the Dean-Faculty of Defence and Strategic Studies, the Dean-Research and Development, the Dean-Faculty of Engineering, the Director International Relations, the Director-Carrier Guidance Unit, the Head of Department of Civil Engineering, the Head of Department of Marine Engineering, and the Deputy Registrar.