WATERLOO - "It's a bit emotional for me today," Mike Lazaridis said.

The BlackBerry co-founder and prominent philanthropist did something unusual. He put his name on a building after donating $20 million toward it.

But it's not just his name. It's also the name of his parents, Nick and Dorothy. They beamed from the audience Wednesday as their son celebrated the official opening of Lazaridis Hall at Wilfrid Laurier University. It was Dorothy's birthday.

His parents emigrated from Turkey in 1967. Now their family name looks over University Avenue, attached to a $90-million building designed as a world-class space.

"We travelled the world and came here eventually to make our home," Lazaradis said in an interview. "It's part of the history that encourages us to give back to this great country.

"It's emotional. It's something that we never in a million years would have expected. But it's a great honour to be able to do that."

Lazaridis Hall, funded mostly by the provincial government, is home to a business school named for Lazaridis, a technology institute also named for him, and Laurier's mathematics department.

It's a sparkling, four-floor building featuring a grand staircase, balconies that overlook a massive, light-filled atrium, a 1,000-seat auditorium and concert hall, and modern classrooms with interactive technology.

The grand design is no accident. Lazaridis, who is no longer with BlackBerry, is following a plan as he donates tens of millions to educational causes across the community. To persuade top people to come here, you have to offer them top space that inspires them.

He points to the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics that he helped launch, and to other buildings he has helped fund on the University of Waterloo campus.

"They're generously funded, they're ambitious, and they're world-class," he said. "Everything here is done at a scale to compete globally, to make sure we're able to recruit and retain the best and brightest."

Laurier has high hopes for its showcase building, expecting it to help it draw leading business talent. About 300 dignitaries and guests attended its official opening, praising the building and giving Lazaridis a standing ovation for his philanthropy.

"This building is a game-changer," said Peter Ansley, vice-chair of Laurier's board of governors.