UNBC and CNC celebrate North Cariboo Community Campus's 10th birthday

January 25, 2016

Over the course of a decade, thousands of students in the Quesnel region have been able to further their post-secondary education closer to home.

It’s thanks to the North Cariboo Community Campus – home to both the University of Northern British Columbia and the College of New Caledonia – that opened 10 years ago.

The campus celebrated the achievement and the partnership on the weekend.

The journey to providing a venue for a wide range of post-secondary programming options for students choosing to pursue their education closer to home began in September, 2002.

That’s when the provincial government announced a 4,500-metre campus in Quesnel would be built, committing $11.6 million.

The announcement was made after the North Cariboo Post-Secondary Education Council formed a committee to sell memberships in the proposed campus to show support for a dedicated facility to accommodate both UNBC and CNC. The end result was 1,300 memberships valued at $10 each that were put into a scholarship fund.

The campus was completed in November 2005 and the official opening occurred in January, 2006.

Since it opened, more than 350 credentials have been awarded by UNBC at its South-Central campus, including certificates, undergraduate and graduate degrees in areas such as social work, education and First Nation studies.

“The North Cariboo Community Campus is a beacon of excellence for leadership development in Quesnel, and after 10 years we can see the benefits it is bringing to the region,” says UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks.

“By having the College of New Caledonia and UNBC in the same facility, we are providing a wide array of post-secondary education options. It’s a partnership we’re happy to celebrate with residents of Quesnel.”