Grundstein für neues "International Services Building" der Brock University gelegt

Today, Brock University held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on its new International Services Building. This milestone represents the first tangible result of The Campaign for a Bold New Brock – the biggest capital fundraising campaign in the University’s history launched earlier this month.

The building will be the new home for Brock’s international operations and the English as a Second Language (ESL) services, including the Intensive ESL program. It will also house the Faculty of Humanities’ Department of Classics and expand the department’s research and teaching space.

The 4,000-square-metre building, designed by Robbie Young & Wright/IBI Group Architects from Toronto, will be located in the area behind 573 Glenridge Ave.

The groundbreaking featured remarks by President Jack Lightstone; Kim Meade, Associate Vice-President, Student Services; and Rosemary Hale, Dean of Humanities.

“Our world gets smaller every day. That is why our University prioritizes such projects as the International Services Building — to provide our students with universal learning experiences and opportunities,” said Lightstone. “Brock owes it to our own local community to look beyond Niagara, and we are already committed to the concept of a global perspective in a knowledge-based economy — we already have more than 1,400 international students from more than 80 countries around the world. And we aim to increase our international student population to 10 per cent of our student body, up from less than five per cent.”

“It is fitting that Classics is a part of a building focused on International Services. This department, concerned with ancient cultures and ancient languages, knows full well the measure of success for internationalization,” said Hale. “This new facility will have a museum and preservation lab to help expand the resrearch capacity of Classics and archaeology. Here the students and faculty will be able to analyze the importance of understanding the past.”

“The consolidation of all international activities under one roof, will support our Academic Plan and the specific objectives to increase the number of international students, foster within our community a sense of social responsibility, and stimulate faculty, staff and student engagement on an international level,” said Meade. “As more international citizens come to Brock as researchers and scholars, they contribute their own unique perspectives to our teaching and learning environment.”

The ceremony also included representatives from the three segments of the University’s international operations, Facilities Management and contractors involved with the project.

Quelle: Brock University Marketing and Communications, 30.03.2009