Learning in Muskoka Campaign

Construction is well under way and the expansion of the Robert J. Surtees Athletic Centre is moving forward rapidly.  The Robert J. Surtees Athletic Centre opened its doors in 2000, a time when our student population was less than 2000, half of the size it is today.  Since that time, we have introduced a degree program in Physical and Health Education, an increased research portfolio in the area of health and wellness, growing varsity teams, and a student population that is committed to living a more holistic lifestyle.

 

The 85,000 square foot expansion will combine state-of-the-art physical and health research and active laboratory testing spaces, a large mutli-purpose community event and recreation facility and will help provide improved programming to promote healthy lifestyle choices that encourage a well-balanced life.  It will support the university’s academic goals; as well as, key government initiatives in sports and recreation, amateur sports development and health and wellness portfolios.

 

At Nipissing we work very hard to keep tuition fees as low as possible while providing a superior educational experience.  Today Nipissing University has just over $4 million dollars endowed to yield interest that funds scholarships, bursaries and awards. Last year over $1.5 million in financial aid was awarded to more than 2,000 students.

 

Financial assistance is essential to allowing good students who lack the means to attend university. The Ontario government has created the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS) program to encourage universities to seek endowed funds from private and corporate donors. Through OTSS, the government will match, dollar for dollar, all gifts made to Nipissing University that are designated to needs-based scholarships and bursaries; when annual donations for endowed scholarships reach a certain ceiling, matching rises to a 3:1 ratio!

 

Construction of the Harris Learning Library began in August 2009 and we are very excited about the opportunities it will offer for collaborative learning and access to the world of knowledge. To take part in the community of academic libraries, we need to ensure we have our own areas of specialization, and holdings that reflect the research needs of students at all three Nipissing University campuses. 

Nipissing University students have indicated that an area of weakness in the University’s supporting resources is the extent of library holdings; they currently have access to over 400,000 books and 20,000 journals that can be accessed in print or electronic format, but we need to keep up with emergent fields and new publications in a number of fields. The cost of published works has been increasing much faster than the general cost of living, and this has seriously limited our ability to meet this area of need.

 

Gifts to this area will allow us to renew and enhance our holdings to meet students’ needs, and to stock the new Harris Learning Library with the best resources possible.

 

Our university, like all universities in Ontario, receives only about half of its funding from the provincial government; most of the rest comes from student tuition, and some from special project grants that may require matching from donors, foundations or corporations. Your support, in any area that interests you, is very much appreciated by our students, faculty and staff; it allows us to enhance support and encourage initiatives that in turn can help us secure additional federal or provincial funding. Examples of areas of investment would include: Aboriginal Initiatives; Community Service Learning; Family-Based Literacy initiatives in language, culture, math and science; equipment for environmental research labs; student accommodation, research grants to support honours level thesis work, and of course areas of interest in any department or faculty.