The University of Northern British Columbia has selected two companies from the Northwest region to undertake renovations at its new Terrace campus building. The facility, located at 4837 Keith Avenue, is expected to open in early 2007 and house classrooms, labs, and offices.

UNI Construction of Terrace is the recipient of a $245,105 contract to renovate the interior of the building to make it suitable for University use. A new roof will be provided by 101 Industries of Kitimat for a price of $119,989.

“This new facility will nearly triple our physical space in Terrace and provide us with a higher profile location in the community,” says UNBC President Don Cozzetto. “Over the years, we have seen an increase in our local programming and this has translated into greater numbers of students. This fall alone, we have seen a 16% increase in student numbers in Terrace compared to last year. We have simply outgrown our existing facility that we lease on Park Avenue.”

The 1,315 square metre (14,000 square feet) building will be renovated in stages. The first stage will cover nearly half of the building and include 7 classrooms and seminar rooms (including a videoconference classroom, a 27-seat computer lab, and a Nursing classroom), a 50-seat public lecture room, 9 administrative and faculty offices, and a student lounge and study area. Wireless capacity also will be installed in the first phase.

UNBC currently offers a wide range of courses in Terrace, including Education, Nursing, Environmental Studies, Social Work, English, Geography, History and First Nations Studies. The Nursing program began last year in conjunction with Northwest Community College, where students take their first two years before transferring to UNBC to complete their degrees. A second phase of renovations will be undertaken prior to the launch of the Bachelor of Education program which will start in September 2007.

Contact:
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622