$1B for higher education
May 26, 2009
Colin Hunter
RECORD STAFF
WATERLOO REGION
Higher education now has higher funding, thanks to more than $1 billion in government funding doled out yesterday to institutions around the region and the province.
The soon-to-be-built Balsillie Centre of Excellence, a graduate school connected to The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), will receive $50 million.
The provincial and federal governments will chip in $25 million each to comprise the funding to CIGI.
Meanwhile, Conestoga College unveiled an additional $48 million in federal and provincial funding for expansion projects, taking the total level of government support to more than $100 million.
Among the 26 other Ontario post-secondary institutions announcing similar funding boosts yesterday were the University of Guelph and the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University, receiving $33 million and $26 million respectively.
The funding is part of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a $2-billion stimulus measure intended to expand and strengthen post-secondary institutions across Canada.
The $50 million investment to the Balsillie Centre of Excellence -- which Balsillie himself matched to make $100 million total -- will help "the city of Waterloo to continue to be the most intelligent community in the world," said the co-chief executive of Research In Motion.
With the funding in place, construction of the school will begin next month beside CIGI in uptown Waterloo. The land for the centre, valued at $5 million, was donated by the City of Waterloo.
When classes begin in the fall of 2011, there will be three graduate schools within the centre -- the Balsillie School for International Affairs and two more that have yet to be announced. Together, they will host scholars from around the world and about 150 students.
"This announcement today does incredible things for this community," said Peter Braid, MP for Kitchener-Waterloo.
"It will, in the very short term, provide a very direct injection of economic stimulus into our economy by creating jobs -- over 500 jobs in the construction of the school.
"Over the longer term this is . . . another step in this region truly becoming a world-class community."
Conestoga College will increase in size and scope by nearly half thanks to $48 million in new funding from the federal and provincial governments.
That figure, combined with investments announced previously, makes a total of $103 million in funding for expansion of the college's campus and programs over the next several years.
"It's the biggest announcement in the history of the college," Conestoga president John Tibbits said following a reception at the Doon campus woodworking centre attended by hundreds of staff, students and dignitaries.
"By the time the dust settles we will grow the college by 40 to 50 per cent. It will be a whole different college," he said.
The funding will go toward a number of expansion projects at the college, including:
"Our goal is to be the most comprehensive technical institute in Canada," Tibbits said.
The college is still hoping to receive additional funding to finance an expansion of the health care curriculum.
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program has separate components for universities and colleges, in order to fund improvements in research and academic development as well as skills training.
Braid said that only by financially supporting all forms of education can Waterloo Region be prepared to emerge from the recession with a ready and capable workforce.
"These are significant announcements, they're huge, and they're multi-faceted in terms of the areas of study they cover."
chunter@therecord.com