CN strengthens ties to Asper School with new professorship

Dr. Paul D. Larson appointed to key Supply Chain Management professorship

WINNIPEG, June 26,2009 — The Asper School of Business, in partnership with CN, has announced Dr. Paul D. Larson as the holder of the CN Professorship in the Department of Supply Chain Management.

The new CN Professorship will help strengthen excellence in transportation research and education at the University of Manitoba. CN contributed $750,000 to establish the professorship through a previously announced donation to the School.

Dr. Larson is one of Canada's premier researchers in Supply Chain Management (SCM). He heads up the SCM department at the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business and is director of the university's Transport Institute, which focuses on transportation research, specifically economics and policy issues as well as the technical aspects of transportation.

Dr. Larson has published nearly 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading SCM, logistics and transportation journals, and has made numerous presentations at academic and practitioner conferences. His special areas of interest and contribution include supply chain relationships and information sharing, humanitarian logistics, and transportation - especially air, motor, and rail.

“As the holder of the CN Professorship, Dr. Larson will provide leadership in transportation and supply chain management at the Asper School of Business, as well as the broader business community in Manitoba and Canada,” said Dr. Glenn Feltham, Dean of the Asper School of Business. “His focus will be to encourage and stimulate research and programming in transportation, SCM, as well as support graduate students.”

Feltham said railways play an integral role in North American transportation, so it's fitting that CN - an industry leader - would take an active role in the academic study that will shape commerce in the future.

“CN's generous support of our program through the CN Professorship again demonstrates its commitment to Manitoba and the development of world-class education in this country,” he added.

Mike Cory, CN Senior Vice-President, Western Region, said Dr. Larson's appointment reflects the growing importance of academic study of transportation issues.

“The University of Manitoba and the Asper School of Business do a tremendous job in promoting a deeper understanding of the industry and its complex role in the global economy," Cory said.
"By investing in the CN Professorship in the Department of Supply Chain Management, we're helping develop graduates ready to guide the rail industry in the 21st century."

About CN

CN – Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries – spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

Through the CN Stronger Communities Fund, the company supports health and safety programs for young people, transportation education, the CN Railroaders in the Community employee volunteer grant program and United Way. CN is committed as an Imagine Caring Company to contribute one per cent of pre-tax profit to registered, non-profit organizations in communities where our employees work and where we operate our business.

About the Asper School of Business

The Asper School is dedicated to providing the best business education anywhere, with a focus on serving Manitoba. The School, with its 1,500 top-quality students and 100 world-class faculty, is at the center of economic activities in Manitoba, while making important contributions to Canada and the world through the excellence and relevance of its teaching and research.

Contacts

For CN:		For the Asper School:
Kevin Franchuk		Marci Elliott
Regional Manager		Director of Development
Public and Government Affairs		Asper School of Business
Phone: 780 643-7731		University of Manitoba
Cell: 780 288-8854		204 480-1046 office
Email Kevin		204 230-7029 cell
		marci_elliott@umanitoba.ca