March 31, 2005
Premier Gordon Campbell has launched the province’s newest university during the inaugural convocation of Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and announced funding approval for a $12-million BC Open Learning Centre to house the operations of BC Open University and Open College.
“Students in the Central Interior will have more opportunities to prepare for their futures and realize their dreams with the education they’ll be able to receive at Thompson Rivers University,” said Campbell. “Bringing BC Open University and Open College into Thompson Rivers University will extend the reach of B.C.’s newest university to students across the province, making it an institution with a truly provincial impact.”
Construction of the 3,733-square-metre BC Open Learning Centre will begin as soon as possible, with completion scheduled for September 2006. The centre will contain space for offices, video conferencing rooms and data technology, and will accommodate up to 180 staff.
Legislation to establish Thompson Rivers University – which will succeed the former University College of the Cariboo and takes on the functions of the BC Open University and Open College – comes into force today. The new university will bring an estimated $100 million a year in economic benefits to Kamloops and other communities in the Central Interior. Its first official intake of students will be in September. By 2010 TRU will have the equivalent of about 9,000 student spaces.
“Having access to this calibre and diversity of education is an exceptional opportunity for students in this region, and more opportunities are opening up each year as we implement our 25,000-seat expansion of post-secondary education across the province,” said Advanced Education Minister Ida Chong. “Government is also improving access by building a $12-million campus of TRU in Williams Lake, part of $800 million in new facilities we are funding over the next three years.”
The university will offer primarily undergraduate programs in a variety of disciplines, master’s degrees, developmental programs and careers, vocational trades and apprenticeship training to meet the needs of the region it serves.
“Thompson Rivers is unlike any other university in British Columbia,” said Kamloops MLA Claude Richmond. “This university’s mandate is to focus on teaching excellence and to promote the open learning instruction that people throughout the province can access. The university will also undertake the research and scholarly activities that support its programs.”
Some key new areas of growth include education degrees to train secondary school teachers; physical education, sports and health sciences; business programs; and further expansion of the aboriginal tourism program.
“I know how important it is for the people of Kamloops to have access to the kind of education that will prepare them for the futures they want, including those that lead directly to jobs in our local industries,” said Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Kevin Krueger. “Trades training and professional career courses are what make this institution different and vital to us in this region.”
“Thompson Rivers University will be a truly unique university offering comprehensive programs from trades training to master's degrees. TRU will also distinguish itself in its dedication to all adult learners by providing access to flexible learning options,” said Roger Barnsley, the UCC president who was installed today as TRU’s first president and vice-chancellor.
TRU’s first chancellor, Nancy Greene Raine, was also installed during today’s convocation. Raine, an Olympic and World Cup medallist who developed Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops into one of B.C.’s most popular resorts, was one of the first two people to receive an honorary degree from the former University College of the Cariboo in 1999.
