Project Title: Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Facilities

The Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Facilities project includes:

• Construction of 6,830 nasm (11,330 gsm) of new academic space on the Symons Campus, and
• Renovations to 7,600 nasm (12,320 gsm) of existing academic space.

The new space will be flexible, "smart" and efficient and will accommodate state-of-the-art lecture facilities, a major assembly and performance space, new teaching and research laboratories, open-access computer labs, faculty offices and other related academic facilities. The renovated space will provide accommodation for science teaching and research laboratories, faculty offices and academic support activities.

Most significantly for the future of the University, implementation of the project will allow for the consolidation of teaching activity from the two downtown campuses to the Symons campus, provide significant savings in the University’s operating budget, reduce deferred maintenance liabilities and, through the decommissioning and sale of the downtown properties, retire debt and generate a contribution to the University’s capital reserves.

No. of spaces: 1,334

Duration of design phase: 6 months

Duration of construction: New construction phase - 24 months
Renovation phase – 12 months

Planned opening date: New space occupied – Aug. 2002
Renovated space occupied – Aug. 2003

Number of new classrooms: 27 representing 19% of new net assignable space

Number of new laboratories: 30 representing 27% of new net assignable space

Number of new shops: nil

Faculty office space represents 20% of net new assignable area.

Admin office space represents 10% of net new assignable space

Other space including the following represents 24% of new net assignable space.

Shared academic resource space and student service space including:
- Open-access computer laboratories
- Multi-media teaching resource centre
- Performance/ceremonial space to be integrated with lecture theatre and exhibit facility
- Student services space

Amount: $ 4.361 million representing 11.7% of SuperBuild Growth Fund for Postsecondary Education Funding Component.

Description and Confirmed Partners:

Trent has established a fundraising campaign – Beyond Our Walls – to raise funds for a variety of University initiatives. The campaign, with a target of $17 million, is built around three main themes:

• Supporting Students,
• Learning, Teaching and Research Support, and
• Campus Renewal Support.

A portion of the funds raised in each sector will be directed towards infrastructure improvements. With respect to the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Facilities, funds from the campaign will be used to support construction and the purchase of teaching and research equipment.

Confirmed Partners in the Campaign include:

• Canada Foundation for Innovation has contributed infrastructure funds for the new Water Quality Centre, to be housed in refurbished space in the Environmental Science building. Provincial support from ORDCF has also contributed to this Centre
  Matching funding for this initiative will be provided by donors who include: Ontario Power Generation, Sun Life, McLaughlin Foundation, Miltronics Ltd.
• Support for an investment in learning technology has been confirmed from Bell Canada
• University Partners providing matching funding to the ATOP program include Bell Canada, Unis Lumin, Sun Micro Systems, Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion Bank.
• Private bequests have been received for investments in campus infrastructure renewal.

• From the 1997 OUAC Admission Data System Report, 55% of applications to Ontario Universities from both secondary and non-secondary applicants for admission to programs in Arts and Science. (Over 70% are for Arts & Science plus Arts and Science related programs.)
• 59% of registrants in the Ontario University system are in Arts and Science programs. Departments and programs in Arts and Science are the backbone of the university system.

• Trent provides 3.5% of the places in Arts & Science programs, province-wide. Trent aims to provide places for the same share of an increasing pool of students.

• Trent provides unique offerings among Ontario and Canadian universities with its focus on interdisciplinary programs.

• 60% of Trent’s enrolled students come from five counties or regions including Metro Toronto and Ottawa-Carleton. These five regions will experience growth to 2021 in the 18-24 year old cohort that is more than 50% higher than the overall Ontario average. The demand for additional spaces at Trent is sustainable over the long-term.

• Labour market forecasters predict a strong demand for university graduates.

• Employment rates for Humanities/Art and Social Sciences and Natural Sciences university graduates are in excess of 96% two years after graduation according to COU survey data, with Trent graduates showing higher employment rates than the survey averages.
• A 1998 study for SSHRC demonstrates overall higher employment rates for graduates of arts/humanities/social science programs than graduates with technical degrees.

• The construction component of the project will provide 624 person-years of employment.
• Each enrolled student and employed staff member at Trent make an annual average contribution to the local economy of $21,000 per annum. A 12% increase in enrolment will increase Trent’s contribution to the local economy to an annual estimated total of $134,000,000 in 1998 dollars and will provide additional employment in the region.

• Additional capacity and graduates will support Peterborough’s role as a regional centre with a market of more than 150,000 persons and a wider market of more than 250,000 persons. Peterborough is among the nation’s leaders in job growth and retail sales (Source: Statistics Canada) with numerous small business start-ups and expansion in the existing manufacturing industry. Expansion of the University is supportive of the Region’s initiative in implementing an economic development strategy.

• Success for the Region in competing with other cities, provinces and countries for economic activity is dependent on the availability of high quality relevant educational programs and the educated and skilled labour force that these programs can create. A labour force with problem-solving skills is a critical infrastructure for knowledge-based industry sectors. In addition to provincial and nation-wide placements, Trent provides university graduates who have been educated locally and who are participants in the local community for the local economy, including such industries as NHB Industries Ltd., Lakefield Research Ltd. and Quaker Oats of Canada Ltd. Other sectors include education, tourism, eco-tourism, retail, hospitality, law, accountancy, finance, publishing, media, health care and the fine and performing arts.
• Trent’s strength in environmental and resource management significantly support an emerging regional focus in bio-environmental/bio-technology economic development.

• Trent is ideally scaled to the scale of the region: its focus on interdisciplinary learning is ideally suited to a new economy that rewards those who think outside the box and who can apply lessons learned in a creative manner.

• Ontario’s long term future depends as much on the vitality of the regions as it does on the strength of the centre. A balance is required to avoid having the centre establish the development priorities for the regions. It is important that people can be educated and work in the regions. Trent, with its sister post-secondary institutions in the Peterborough Region are an important part of providing a stable and balanced choice of educational opportunities.

• Components of the University Infrastructure (not subjects of this application) are directly focussed on supporting regional development initiatives. These include the proposed conference and residential facilities that will be developed in parallel with the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Facilities Project.

• The enrolment increase that this project supports will accommodate a renewal of teaching faculty through new hires for the additional enrolment and the on-going replacement of retiring teaching staff.
• Access to up-to-date teaching and research space will enhance the quality of the academic programs and the student learning experience and provide faculty with support in continuing their research funding position in the province.
• Consolidation of teaching facilities for the Faculty of Arts and Science will encourage resource sharing (intellectual and physical) and encourage the development of further interdisciplinary activity among the University’s departments.

• New and renovated space will provide opportunities for collateral improvements to, and use of, the space occupied by other departments.

• New and renovated space will be provided with an updated technological infrastructure that will extend to all campus buildings as part of the University’s Infrastructure Plan.

• Construction of new academic space at the Symons Campus will allow the University to consolidate academic activity from the two downtown campuses to the main campus.
• Consolidation will provide a reduction in the operating budget of approximately $389,000 on an annual basis.
• Decommissioning and sale of the downtown campuses will allow the University to discharge mortgages, providing a reduction in the annual operating budget of almost $200,000 initially and, when fully implemented, $400,00 annually.
• The University will retire a deferred maintenance liability of $9.941 million or 32.6% of the current total of $32 million with this project specifically. With implementation of the overall plan for consolidation of the downtown activities, the University’s liability will be reduced to half of the current total with the most serious liabilities resolved.
• The academic space which will be replaced is on average over 110 years old with a Facilities Condition index rating of 50%.
• The Province’s investment will attract support from Trent’s partners and donors.
• Capital support from the Province will provide a direct impact on three aspects of Trent’s financial condition: a reduction in deferred maintenance, a reduction in annual operating costs and retire debt from income from the sale of land and buildings.