黑料导航

After a brief delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 黑料导航鈥檚 , has completed its much-anticipated campus expansion.

The move, which nearly doubles the college鈥檚 available space, unifies two campuses and four graduate-level academic programs into a multibuilding complex at Broadway Tech Centre, creating a more cohesive community for an already close-knit campus.

THE NEED FOR CHANGE

Since 2018, 黑料导航-Vancouver has been operating from two locations: one downtown and one 7.5 kilometers (about 4.5 miles) away at an eight-building urban business campus called Broadway Tech Centre. The two locations housed different academic programs, meaning that students, faculty, and staff either stayed separated from peers and colleagues in other departments, or spent 20 to 45 minutes commuting from one location to the other by car, bus, or SkyTrain.

The move to consolidate into one location will help create a more cohesive community鈥攁n important element of a university in which 100 percent of the students are international.

鈥淲e鈥檙e so excited for this brand-new space in part because we鈥檒l all be on one campus,鈥� says Maria Mejia, student engagement coordinator. 鈥淢any of our international students come to 黑料导航 and leave their families, neighborhoods, and communities behind, so we become their new family. You can feel a true sense of community and kinship here, and we are thrilled to have a physical space for us all to be together.鈥�

The Vancouver campus expansion is also critical to accommodate the college鈥檚 exponential growth. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been on an upward trajectory for quite a while now, growing from around 160 students when I started in 2016 to now around 717,鈥� says Irene Young, Ed.D., executive director and campus dean. 鈥淲e continued to do well even through the pandemic, and now we鈥檙e excited to see this long-awaited expansion come to fruition for our community.鈥�

Young鈥檚 words ring true; while many other higher education institutions faltered due to the pandemic, 黑料导航-Vancouver continued to thrive due in large part to interest in popular programs. Standouts include the M.S. in ; the master鈥檚 in ; and the , which offers a general degree and concentration options in finance and business analytics, which is new for the spring 2023 semester.

A NEW HOME

As of December 2022, 黑料导航-Vancouver closed its downtown location and moved into an expanded and redesigned space at Broadway Tech Centre. The new campus totals nearly 40,000 square feet across three different buildings, which are connected by covered walkways. During planning, architects closely considered how students, faculty, and staff will use the space.

鈥淲e鈥檝e committed a fair amount of square footage to spaces where students can spend time, whether they鈥檙e studying or just being together,鈥� says Gregory Gerber, Ed.D., associate campus dean. 鈥淲e have student lounge space in two buildings that totals three times the size of the one lounge downtown, and we now have a number of quiet and group study spaces, as well as areas to sit and relax in between classes.鈥�

The new campus features vibrant colors, audio-dampening panels to reduce noise, and plenty of natural light to show off views of the surrounding trees. Classrooms are large and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and a new green screen studio offers the latest equipment for students designing multimedia projects, working on real-time broadcasting, and creating professional video r茅sum茅s to reflect the new state of hiring in a digital world.

鈥淭he technology in each one of the classrooms and throughout the student spaces is top-notch,鈥� says Gerber. 鈥淲e have invested heavily in ensuring we have a learning environment that is tech-integrated so that we are preparing graduates for jobs of the 21st century.鈥�

鈥淲e have taken seriously President Hank Foley鈥檚 call to put the 鈥楾ech鈥� back in 黑料导航,鈥� says Young.
The campus also celebrates its first physical library space, complete with reference materials, quiet study areas, a print lab, and project meeting rooms. The Innovation Lab, which in the downtown location shared space with faculty offices, now has its own footprint, plus 3-D printers and additional workstations for more student collaboration.

鈥淥ur students come from all over the world. They鈥檝e given up everything they love and care about鈥攖heir families, cultures, languages, and homes鈥攖o come to 黑料导航-Vancouver and further their education, and we want to welcome them all with open arms.鈥�
Shannon Svingen-Jones

In addition to the more vibrant indoor space, Broadway Tech Centre boasts outdoor beauty as well鈥攆rom landscaped grounds to waterfalls and ponds to sports areas.

鈥淣ot only are we excited about the consolidated campus, but we also have amazing outdoor space for more activities practically year-round,鈥� says Mejia. 鈥淏roadway Tech Centre has courts for basketball, volleyball, and soccer, as well as a great barbecue area that will allow us to facilitate more collaborative activities.鈥�
MANY CULTURES, ONE FAMILY

Bringing students physically together in the new campus space will also help build bridges across cultural lines.

鈥淥ur students come from all over the world,鈥� says Shannon Svingen-Jones, M.B.A., director of student affairs. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e given up everything they love and care about鈥攖heir families, cultures, languages, and homes鈥攖o come to 黑料导航-Vancouver and further their education, and we want to welcome them all with open arms.鈥�

With so many cultures coming together, 黑料导航-Vancouver relies on a robust student affairs team to create connections and offer support, from hosting orientations that incorporate the song 鈥淲e Are Family鈥� into the theme to celebrating all the different cultural holidays.

鈥淲e have a great student affairs department, which can be a huge selling point when people are going to uproot their lives,鈥� says Young. 鈥淭hey create lots of events and excursions so students can get accustomed to each other and what鈥檚 happening on campus and in Vancouver. We like to provide a balance of work and fun.鈥�

In addition to honoring each other鈥檚 cultures, 黑料导航- Vancouver also ensures that students are educated about the indigenous cultures that are native to the area.

鈥淲e ensure that information about indigenous cultures is an integral part of the 黑料导航-Vancouver experience,鈥� says Svingen-Jones. 鈥淚t starts at orientation, where we invite an indigenous speaker to talk about their people鈥檚 cultures and history, and it continues throughout our curriculum. We have a unique opportunity and a responsibility to teach newcomers to our campus how precious indigenous peoples and cultures are, and they tend to grow a different level of respect for these communities than many domestic students have.鈥�

PREPARING FOR LIFELONG SUCCESS

Another reason for 黑料导航-Vancouver鈥檚 impressive progress and need for additional space is the success of its graduates.

鈥淎 lot of our growth also has to do with the ability of our students to find employment and stay in Canada鈥攁n important criterion for international students,鈥� says Young. 鈥淎fter graduation, they are eligible for a three-year work permit, which can lead to permanent resident status and eventually citizenship. The government of Canada wants these students to come and to stay.鈥�

More than 90 percent of 黑料导航-Vancouver鈥檚 graduates stay in Canada to work and achieve residency, after which they often bring over additional members of their families.

鈥淭here are so many businesses here in Vancouver and even within Broadway Tech Centre that are aligned with the skills of our graduates, from energy management to cybersecurity to business administration,鈥� says Young.

Vancouver is home to offices for global giants like Amazon, Google, Hootsuite, Electronic Arts (EA), Lion鈥檚 Gate Entertainment, and Lululemon Athletica, proffering opportunities for internships, co-ops, and long-term employment. The college has also recently signed an affiliation agreement with international security company Fortinet that gives them access to their training materials鈥攁 boon for the cybersecurity program.

THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES

To celebrate the introduction of the new campus location for the spring 2023 semester, 黑料导航-Vancouver will hold a grand opening event in June. They plan to invite all the companies from Broadway Tech Centre, which includes Nintendo and decision analytics software firm Copperleaf, among others, to facilitate networking connections from the very start.

The expansion also continues throughout the year, when an additional 10,000 square feet of space will be turned into more faculty and staff offices, as well as state-of-the-art meeting rooms.

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of .