Crandall campus continues growth
Published Monday September 28th, 2009
Ceremony marks expansion construction of new facilities
The sun was shining down on Crandall University on Saturday and the future of the Christian university looks bright as well with a $24 million expansion project officially under way on campus.
A sod-turning ceremony to recognize the construction of a new education building, funded by the provincial and federal governments as well as alumni donations, was held Saturday afternoon at the Gorge Road institution, formerly known as Atlantic Baptist University. The three-phase plan will provide the university with added instructional spaces, student accommodations and athletics facilities.
"Many of us have been waiting for this for a long time," said Ron Gaudet, vice-president of advancement and master of ceremonies of the event. "This day is what a lot of us had in mind. It didn't come easy. It came with a lot of hard work and commitment from government and people involved in our capital campaign."
The federal and provincial governments are contributing $12 million towards the new facility, with one half coming from Industry Canada and the other from the province's Regional Development Corporation.
Industry Minister Donald Arseneault represented the province in the place of Victor Boudreau, the minister responsible for both regional development and Business New Brunswick.
"Our investment speaks for itself," he said, adding that more than $70 million in funding has gone towards recent upgrades at Mount Allison, Université de Moncton, NBCC and now Crandall. "We've made it very clear that post-secondary education is a priority for our government."
While universities across Atlantic Canada are facing difficulties maintaining enrollment levels, Arseneault said such investments are key to maintaining their competitiveness.
"Having more modern infrastructure makes it very exciting for new students. It's more appealing than going into an old structure. We have to focus a lot on the quality of education that we are providing and that's going to be a big plus. But there's no doubt we have to have more focus on international students, trying to attract those kinds of students," he said.
Since work is already underway at the site, with a large pit dug to the north of the existing buildings, representatives from the university and federal and provincial governments posed around a patch of turf that was taken from the site before construction began. It is one of the "shovel-ready" projects being funded to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
"Our government has invested a lot of money in the Knowledge Infrastructure Program here in the province of New Brunswick," said Rodney Weston, member of Parliament for Saint John, who attended the ceremony on behalf of Industry Minister Tony Clement. "It's an opportunity for us, with the recession, to stimulate the economy and to create jobs. But it's also an opportunity for us to invest in the future."
New Brunswick is receiving $49 million in funding from the program, a part of the 2009 federal budget, with $36.8 million being spent at projects at universities and $12.2 million upgrading college infrastructure. Weston said the plan has the double benefit of creating both jobs and educational opportunities.
"We're putting stimulus funding in places that make sense. We're not just spending money to spend money," he said. "So many people take advantage of the stimulus funding to build a monument, if you want -- this is not a monument, this is an opportunity."
Brian MacArthur, president of Crandall, addressed the crowd of more then 100 alumni and dignitaries while holding the shovel that was used for the ground-breaking ceremony for the original academic building. He said the infrastructure funding was crucial in the expansion of the university, which will help further its goals of attracting students interested in a Christian education.
"Behind us will rise a building that will serve future students who will make a difference in our province and our world," he said.
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