SFU Surrey to expand research and teaching space
Joanne Curry, SFU Surrey campus director, 778.782.7475, joannec@sfu.ca
Terry Lavender, PAMR, 778.782.2154, tjlavend@sfu.ca
Correction Appended
Science and technology research and teaching south of the Fraser will benefit from a $10-million government grant to Simon Fraser University's Surrey campus, says campus director Joanne Curry.
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program grant was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on August 5. The federal government is contributing $4.7 million while the provincial government is contributing $5.3 million. The grant will allow SFU to upgrade and renovate over 50,000 square feet of space in Podium 2, adjacent to SFU Surrey's main public space, the Dale B. Regehr Grand Hall.
Mario Pinto, SFU’s vice-president, research, welcomes news of the grant. "We are extremely grateful for this investment, which will add the specialized teaching and research facilities that are critical to attracting students and producing highly skilled graduates for B.C.'s fastest growing region,” he says.
“Expanding capacity at the South Fraser's only research-intensive university is essential to address the growing disparity in post-secondary access in Surrey, a school district that will graduate one of every 10 B.C. high school students by 2016. The project will also accelerate SFU Surrey's role as a hub of scholarship and innovation in the region, and will further our enduring commitment to active community engagement."
Curry says the grant is a vital next step in the campus's growth. "It will allow us to accelerate research and support undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students in leading-edge programs at SFU Surrey,” she says.
“With the support of partners such as the City of Surrey, we will look to maximize both the short and long-term economic development impacts of this welcomed knowledge infrastructure investment."
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program is a two-year, $2-billion economic stimulus measure to support infrastructure enhancement projects at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The program provides funding to support deferred maintenance, repair and expansion projects at post-secondary institutions.
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Correction: Feb. 8, 2010
Mario Pinto was quoted in the original version of this story as saying the Surrey school district will graduate "one of every three" B.C. high school students by 2016. The correct number, as provided by that school district, is one in 10. The 'one of every three' actually applies to the South Fraser region which includes the Fraser Valley, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Mission, Fraser-Cascade, Langley, Surrey, Delta and Richmond.