In September 2009, MacEwan's Board of Governors approved a plan for a single sustainable campus that will see operations of all four campuses consolidated onto City Centre Campus.
This ground-breaking and innovate initiative will bring MacEwan's entire student body, faculty and staff together on the downtown campus.
The consolidation will occur in phases: the Centre for the Arts and Communications will be moved first, followed by programs at South Campus, and then those at Alberta College Campus. The project will be paced according to available funds - with hopes of an earliest completion time of 10 years.
Why?
- Sustainability: consolidation of services onto a single campus allows fair, equitable and efficient use of our resources - space, people and finances - and eliminates duplication of services on multiple campuses.
- A single campus provides all students with equitable learning conditions: technology; facilities; and services such as an on-site residence, library, fitness/wellness facilities, and specialized support services.
- A consolidated campus supports MacEwan's new curriculum architecture: horizontal credential building is facilitated as students move from diplomas to degrees to post-diploma/degree certificates. A single campus also provides across-the-board access to in-class, online, part-time or full-time programming.
- One campus = higher levels of student satisfaction: a single campus provides critical mass: students can access a wider range of electives and faculty expertise, and have the opportunity to interact with students in similar disciplines: currently, closely-related programs in some faculties and schools are housed on separate campuses. And, exposure to activities and disciplines outside students' chosen areas of study also adds to the breadth and depth of the learner experience.
- City Centre Campus will become a transportation hub: the City of Edmonton's future plans include an LRT station at 105 Avenue and 105 Street.
The University Service Centre: The first phase
The Single Sustainable Campus initiative launched with the construction of the University Service Centre (USC) on the top level of the City Centre Campus west parkade. Projected for completion in April 2011, the space will house up to 240 staff representing a number of administrative service areas. The move of staff into this centre will free up space in Building 7 to accommodate expansion of student programming.
