samsonyuen
October 1st, 2004, 11:30 AM
McMaster plans for campus in Burlington
TESS KALINOWSKI
EDUCATION REPORTER
Mayor Rob MacIsaac's dream of bringing a university to Burlington has graduated to the planning stages.
MacIsaac and officials of McMaster University in Hamilton signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday that will lead to the opening of a technology-based campus in the city, possibly as soon as fall 2006.
The location has not been set, since the size of the campus is still unclear but officials are working with a model that would see at least 5,000 students in Burlington in 20 years.
MacIsaac said he would prefer to keep the campus downtown.
"When we look at our economy we're making such great progress on so many fronts but it's clear to us that having a post-secondary presence will make a world of difference going forward," the mayor said after a Chamber of Commerce breakfast speech yesterday. "We need more colleges and universities in Ontario, and Burlington wants to get its share of the pie."
The campus will specialize in digital media, digital cinema and virtual learning, said McMaster president Peter George.
"We will not rush into mass higher education. That's not what this is intended to be. It will be a niche," he said.
"If we do it the way we want, we're going to have a very prestigious program people will be trying to get into from all over Canada and all over the world," said McMaster provost and vice-president (academic) Ken Norrie.
The campus will be paid for by a combination of government funding, tuition and private sector money, Norrie said.
TESS KALINOWSKI
EDUCATION REPORTER
Mayor Rob MacIsaac's dream of bringing a university to Burlington has graduated to the planning stages.
MacIsaac and officials of McMaster University in Hamilton signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday that will lead to the opening of a technology-based campus in the city, possibly as soon as fall 2006.
The location has not been set, since the size of the campus is still unclear but officials are working with a model that would see at least 5,000 students in Burlington in 20 years.
MacIsaac said he would prefer to keep the campus downtown.
"When we look at our economy we're making such great progress on so many fronts but it's clear to us that having a post-secondary presence will make a world of difference going forward," the mayor said after a Chamber of Commerce breakfast speech yesterday. "We need more colleges and universities in Ontario, and Burlington wants to get its share of the pie."
The campus will specialize in digital media, digital cinema and virtual learning, said McMaster president Peter George.
"We will not rush into mass higher education. That's not what this is intended to be. It will be a niche," he said.
"If we do it the way we want, we're going to have a very prestigious program people will be trying to get into from all over Canada and all over the world," said McMaster provost and vice-president (academic) Ken Norrie.
The campus will be paid for by a combination of government funding, tuition and private sector money, Norrie said.