Professional Studies Building Opens, Transitions

Professional Studies Building Opens

by Joel O'Kane, BAAJ II

Father John Keoughan, Attorney General, Minister of Justice and MLA for Fredericton South Brad Green, St. Thomas president Daniel O’Brien and Students’ Union president Katherine Breen take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the Professional Studies Building.

In conjunction with campus celebrations for Aquinas Day on January 28, 2002, St. Thomas University was pleased to announce the official opening of the new Professional Studies Building. The new four-floor, 36,000 square foot building houses the criminology, education, gerontology, journalism, and social work departments and is a hub for many of St. Thomas’s research centres, including the Fredericton 80+ Study, the Centre for Youth At Risk, and the Third Age Centre.

Students, faculty, and staff were actively involved in the selection of design priorities for the building. It complements existing facilities on campus and includes eight state-of-the-art classrooms, five project rooms, two computer and multimedia labs, Alumni Hall, and more than 30 faculty and staff offices.

The ceremony was held in the main entrance of the Professional Studies Building.

Since 1979, an enrolment increase of 250 per cent has prompted new construction projects to solve the university’s resulting space shortage. In addition to the Professional Studies Building, other projects have included Sir James Dunn Hall (1994), J. B. O’Keefe Fitness Centre (1999), and the Admissions & Reception Building (2001).

“The Professional Studies Building will profoundly enhance the student experience at St. Thomas,” says president Dr. Daniel O’Brien. “This new teaching and research centre reinforces our ability to offer students a first-rate university experience.”

Funding for the new building was raised through St. Thomas University’s ongoing “New Century of Achievement” campaign, which has a goal of raising $8.5 million. To date, 75 per cent ($6.3 million) has been raised thanks to donations from government, church groups, corporations, alumni, faculty, staff, and students.