VANDERHOOF – The College of New Caledonia (CNC) hosted a public engagement session regarding the new Vanderhoof campus on Dec. 6, 2018.
The evening, which was hosted in the new campus building, included a presentation from CNC featuring a conceptual design of the first and second floor of the new campus as well as the trades shop. The room was then divided into breakout sessions where group feedback on the conceptual designs was collected followed by a question and answer period.
“We heard some great feedback at the session,” said CNC Nechako Regional Principal Troy Morin. “The community certainly showed its passion for the future of education in Vanderhoof.”
A dedicated trade shop was a highlight of the new campus’ conceptual design. The proposed 357 square metre shop will diversify the trades training opportunities available in the Nechako region.
The conceptual design also features two Digital Delivery Instruction (DDI) classrooms. These innovative learning spaces, which use state-of-the-art cameras and microphones to create an interactive digital classroom, are already bringing a wide range of courses for university transfer that have never been accessed by the community before.
Currently, students in Vanderhoof can enrol in 28 courses using DDI including Bookkeeping, English and Early Childhood Care and Learning for the spring 2018 semester. A full listing of CNC’s DDI offerings for the semester can be found at http://www.cnc.bc.ca/programs-courses/Digital_Delivery_Instruction/Spring_Courses.htm.
“We’re able to offer a lot of programming in Vanderhoof using one DDI classroom,” Morin said. “The opportunities can only grow with the addition of a second.”
Feedback gathered from the community during the evening’s breakout sessions will be taken into consideration as the renovation project moves forward.
“CNC greatly values the communities it serves,” said CNC President Henry Reiser. “Through this project, we wanted to create a campus with modern up-to-date classrooms and support spaces to enhance the teaching and learning environment in Vanderhoof. It is important the community is involved in defining what that is.”
An estimated timeline for the campus was also presented:
- December 2018 / January 2019: hire design consultant and construction manager via public procurement process
- Winter 2019: demolition, prepare site and building for new construction and apply for permits
- Spring 2019: structural work, preliminary electrical and mechanical rough-in work
- Summer 2019: detailed electrical and mechanical finishing work, interior finishes, grounds improvements
- Fall 2019: final interior finishing work, systems commissioning, deficiency completion, operational readiness and owner move in
- January 2020: classes begin
To keep up to date with information regarding the new Vanderhoof campus, visit cnc.bc.ca/newvanderhoofcampus.