KAMLOOPS – TRU’s new 11-storey on-campus student residence was officially opened by BC Premier Gordon Campbell, who unveiled a plaque and participated in a ribbon-cutting today along with Dacon CEO & President Bob Wilson and TRU Board of Governors chair Ron Olynyk.
The $44.5 million project, the tallest building in Kamloops, was built as a result of a partnership between the university, builder Dacon Corporation, its subsidiary, Campus Living Centres, the largest private operator of student residences in Canada, and PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. (PCL),the largest general contracting organization in Canada.
“TRU appreciates the opportunity to partner with private enterprise in order to provide badly needed on-campus housing for students, and is grateful to Dacon and Campus Living Centres for establishing a comfortable and effective student residence on our Kamloops campus on terms that will benefit the university now and in the future,” said TRU President and Vice-Chancellor Roger Barnsley.
Barnsley went on to explain that the residence partnership was a way for TRU to extend student services, enabling the university to use its core funding in the classroom for the direct benefit of all students.
“In addition to providing for their students’ education goals, it’s critical that our universities are also acting to provide the elements like student housing that are part of building a true community of learning,” said Premier Campbell. “I applaud TRU for developing innovative solutions like they have done with this project and for their leadership in helping ensure B.C. students have the support and opportunities they need to build the futures they want.”
The 585-bed residence, which began accepting students last August, incorporates barrier-free suites and several multi-use communal spaces, with three types of suite configurations available, with a total of 576 student beds, eight hotel suite beds, and one resident manager’s bed
For more information, please contact Cliff Neufeld, VP Administration & Finance at 250-828-5011.
