Media Releases >  Media Releases Archive  > SFU to open expanded, permanent Surrey campus

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Contact:
Kathryn Aberle, 604.291.3929, kathryn_aberle@sfu.ca
Terry Lavender, 604.268.7408, terry_lavender@sfu.ca

Simon Fraser University will welcome students to its permanent Surrey campus in September 2005, 40 years after opening its Burnaby Mountain campus. The new facility will be located in Central City, an award-winning architectural complex adjacent to the Surrey Central SkyTrain station.

"Our expanded presence in Surrey will help us tackle the increasing demand for access to higher education, especially in the Fraser region of the Lower Mainland," says SFU president Michael Stevenson. "We will also be able to extend our research and community initiatives in one of the fastest growing areas of British Columbia."

Stevenson notes that improved access to higher education is critical to the future of British Columbia. "B.C.'s production of university degrees is the lowest per capita in Canada. More programs and student spaces at SFU Surrey will create opportunities for our young people, and contribute to the province's economic well-being."

More than 800 undergraduate and graduate students are enrolled currently in the school of interactive arts and technology at SFU Surrey. Next fall they will be joined by new students in computing science, business administration, education and continuing studies. Planning is well advanced for a range of programs in the arts and sciences as well. The university will also expand its community outreach initiatives in the Fraser region, including non-credit courses, public lectures and summer camps for children. Eventually, all SFU faculties will offer programs in Surrey.

Strong support was received from the local MLAs, the City of Surrey, local school districts and other post-secondary partners in the region. With active assistance from the SFU advisory council - a group of influential business and community leaders - this cooperative effort was instrumental in gaining government approval for a permanent expanded SFU facility in the region.

Central City was designed by architect Bing Thom, who will receive an honorary degree from SFU in 2005. Completed in 2003, it has already won accolades both nationally and internationally. "With the addition of this superb new campus, SFU maintains its tradition of architectural excellence," says Stevenson. The original university site in Burnaby was designed by Arthur Erickson and Geoffrey Massey, while SFU's campus facilities in downtown Vancouver have been acclaimed for their combination of heritage preservation and innovative architecture.

SFU will initially occupy 32,000 square feet in Central City. The campus will grow to 322,000 square feet to support planned growth of 2,500 full-time equivalent students by 2010.

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Website: SFU Surrey; www.surrey.sfu.ca/