Province unveils design plans for community college building
Published Saturday October 10th, 2009
Fredericton's new community college will be a two-storey brick building that will hold twice as many students as the facility on Smythe Street and will be 40 per cent more energy efficient than an average building.
The $15-million building will be 4,552 square metres (49,000 square feet) and will be located on the University of New Brunswick campus between the Wu Conference Centre and Marshall d'Avray Hall.
The new design was unveiled at a news conference Friday.
"We're doing this for current and future students in New Brunswick, who will have more opportunities and lots of choice," said Premier Shawn Graham.
The province is investing $11 million in the project, which Graham said was an election promise in 2006.
He noted Friday was Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside's birthday.
"I am delivering the birthday present you asked for," said Graham.
Woodside said the announcement was wonderful.
"This is Thanksgiving weekend," he said. "This is another great reason to be thankful to live in this wonderful community."
Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Donald Arseneault said that in the past two years the provincial government has added 950 seats to the community college system.
"We will continue the work of making our post-secondary education system more student-focused, accessible, affordable and relevant to the needs of employers and the workforce of the 21st century," he said.
Arseneault said 92 per cent of community college graduates find work and 90 per cent of those jobs are in New Brunswick.
The University of New Brunswick is leasing the land for the community college building to the province for $1 a year for 50 years.
UNB president Eddy Campbell said the new building will benefit students at both post-secondary education facilities with new programs and opportunities.
"This is a great day for us," he said.
Campbell said he expected to see a lot of movement by students back and forth between the university and the community college.
The facility will have programs on health, business administration, information technology, engineering technology and applied media arts., and wireless Internet.
The building is part of the province's green building program and is designed to a silver rating under the leadership in energy and environmental design rating system. The building will minimize use of water and maximize energy efficiency.
Heather Hatheway, principal of NBCC's Fredericton campus, said the building will house 400 students, compared to the 200 enrolled at the Smythe Street campus.
"There will be a lot more space," she said. "We have wait-lists now.
"We are exploring the program mix we will have."
Hatheway said the building will open in the fall of 2011.
Jennifer Morrison, 20, of Oromocto is studying office administration at the building on Smythe Street.
"I think the fact that NBCC is getting in with UNB itself, the other students ... are going to have opportunities to collaborate with each other," she said. "I am excited personally for it."
Morrison will graduate before the new building is finished, but she said she hopes to take a licensed practical nursing course in the new building.
Jennifer Wentworth, 23, of St. George is also studying office administration and said building a new facility on the university campus will raise its profile.
"You almost miss it if you don't know where it is," she said about the building on Smythe Street.
Wentworth will also graduate before the new building is complete.
"It is bittersweet because I would like to see how things are going to play out," she said. "I wouldn't mind coming back just to see what the building looks like."
The federal government is providing $4 million for the new building from its Knowledge Infrastructure Program.
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