阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 orillia -- your bright future
posted by kathy hunt
packet and times april 1, 2010
welcome to a new column where you will get to know 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 -orillia. we plan to keep you up-to-date on the new campus, university activities, the your bright future campaign and what it all means to orillia and simcoe county. not only do we plan to bring you many interesting stories about lakehead in our community, but by doing so, invite you to become part of the adventure!
from steering the ship to building the ship, a q & a with brian jeffs.
jeffs considers himself very lucky -- he's part of a team that's overseeing the development of the new university avenue campus in orillia -- a responsibility he sees as being extremely exciting. i talked to him to get a firsthand update on the project.
q: what is your role at lakehead and with the new campus?
as assistant vice-president of administration and finance, i am responsible for managing the finances and administrative operations of the 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 -orillia campus. i work with several colleagues and consultant partners, who are far more knowledgeable and talented than i am at dealing with the details of the build. collectively, we oversee the development of our new campus site on university avenue. it's a really exciting role, especially now that the building is taking shape.
q. what is your background and how did you arrive at lakehead in orillia?
i'm an accountant by background. before coming to lakehead in 2008, i spent 20 years at the university of western ontario. during the last 10 years at western, i was the director of administration for the medical and dental school. while there, i was involved with a $35-million renovation to the school and was part of a team that oversaw the design and construction of a $22-million campus project at the university of windsor. if i can use an analogy, when i was considering leaving western, i felt as though i was capable of steering a very big ship. for me, the lakehead- orillia opportunity was really about building the ship -- very different skills and a challenge i found particularly appealing. very few people in academic administration get the opportunity to build a new campus from the ground up. once i met dean kim fedderson, i knew it was going to be the right move for me.
q: why is that?
i found that kim and i were on the same page and share similar beliefs, expectations and styles of management. building anew campus is not just about creating the physical space; it's about building services that go along with a fully functioning campus -- the policies, procedures and the systems that have to be in place to create and support an effective learning environment. after kim and i spoke, i knew i was going to be able to work with him to accomplish this.
q: can you describe the new lakehead campus?
we're building the first academic building on the university avenue campus site, which will open this fall. it's over 80,000 square feet, three stories high and will be a combination of classroom and administrative space. it will have several technology- abled classrooms, two science labs, 120-and 200-seat lecture theatres, food kiosk and large library/learning commons area. what makes this campus stand out is that it is being built to the highest standards of energy efficiency and environmental design.
q:can you describe what these environmental standards mean?
our orillia campus will be the first university campus in north america that will meet the platinum -- or highest standard -- of the leadership in energy and environmental design green building rating system (leed). it means the campus will demonstrate and promote awareness of conservation, sustainable growth and protection and respect of the natural environment.
q: what will the lakehead student experience at the new campus this fall?
our hope is that the new space will embrace the idea of collaborative learning. 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 will haveongoing access to quality faculty and programming, and will continue to enjoy the small classes and a culture of camaraderie that lakehead has become known for. a large open library/learning commons area is one of the outstanding features of the building. it will be very open and bright and is designed to support interaction among the 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and faculty.
q: how will the campus grow beyond the first academic building?
in 2010, we anticipate having a total of 900 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 at both the university avenue and downtown sites. we anticipate growth over the next three years to increase by about 200 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 per year. our next step is the development of a student residence and full-service cafeteria, scheduled to open for the 2011 fall school term. we'd like to be considering a science building sooner rather than later, followed by the completion of our master plan for a campus that would serve upwards of 5,000 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 by 2025.
q: why is it important for the community to support the university?
what the university brings is tremendous economic benefit. this is a proven fact for any community that has a university. in a knowledge-based economy, it is a wonderful way to invest in a region that is challenged by economic conditions. it brings jobs,世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and dollars into the community.
every university is and needs to be supported by its community. it's not only about investing in the future of the community, but in our youth. for many 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 , to have this in their own backyard makes a university education affordable. the funds we raise within the community will allow us to expedite the project, and in doing so, the benefits the project brings to the region.
q: is there anything else that you would add about your lakehead experience so far?
ellis don is doing a terrific job on the build. of course, they're also constructing the new twinpad arena for the city of orillia, next door to the campus.
i can't say enough about our funding partners and donors, to date. the city of orillia, simcoe county, the federal government, and our individual donors have been integral to the development of the campus.
in addition, the project team i get to work with, from moriyama and teshima architects, mhpm project managers and my colleague kevin schlyter from thunder bay, are the absolute best. they're kind enough to let me tag along and enjoy the ride.
visit http://orillia.lakeheadu.ca/ to learn more and to find out how you can support and get involved with 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 -orillia and the your bright future campaign.
kathy hunt is lakehead's communications officer at the orillia campus and can be contacted atkjhunt3@lakeheadu.ca.