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VICTORIA
– The Province is providing $15
million to Royal Roads University to fund the first new
academic building to be constructed since RRU’s transition from a
military college to a university, announced Advanced Education Minister Murray
Coell.
“RRU has expanded at a rapid pace in order to provide
students with career-oriented applied degrees,” said Coell. “The new building
is part of our promise to expand programs related to business and the economy.”
Currently,
the university offers classes to 3,000 students even though the original
buildings were built for only 300 cadets. RRU is able to accommodate the larger
student body by combining distance education with short, intensive on-campus
residencies. This enables students to participate in degree programs while
continuing to advance in the workplace. The building can accommodate over 1,000
RRU students annually.
“While RRU has an extremely efficient
model for using the existing buildings on our campus, the reality is we
urgently need new space,” said Royal Roads University president Allan Cahoon.
“We’ve averaged a 10 per cent increase in new students in each of the last two
years and are projecting to grow another 11 per cent this year, so this new
facility will allow us to serve more learners and serve them better.”
The proposed new academic building will add a total of
4,571 gross square metres, and will include space for classrooms, seminar
rooms, computer labs and academic offices.
“We are impressed with RRU’s plans for ensuring
the new building will create zero greenhouse gas emissions,” said Coell.
“Government is committed to supporting sustainable and environmentally friendly
building designs at our post-secondary institutions.”
The
university intends to attain a Gold Certification in the Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) standard for this and all future campus
projects.
The
total estimated project cost is $23,600,000 with the remainder of non-provincial
government funding coming from RRU through internal financing and fundraising
initiatives.
Since 2001, the
Province has provided more than $1 billion in new funding for 904 capital and
equipment projects on campuses throughout B.C. and has allocated almost $700
million in capital funding over the next three years to accommodate further
growth and renewal. To date, the Province has also funded almost
16,000 new seats at B.C.’s universities, colleges, institutes and university
colleges.
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contact: |
Communications Director Ministry of Advanced Education 250 952-6508 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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