BRANTFORD – Laurier Brantford will receive $466,145 in federal funding to enhance academic facilities and learning technology at the downtown campus, Brant MP Phil McColeman announced today.

The money comes through the second round of the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF), part of the Government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. In June, Laurier Brantford received $253,750 from the CAF to assist with the design phase of a joint YMCA/Laurier Brantford athletics and recreation facility.

The funding announced today will be used to install state-of-the-art video-conferencing technology at Laurier Brantford.

“The expansion of post-secondary education continues to be a priority in our community,” said McColeman. “This new learning technology will promote greater interaction between campuses and provide students with more opportunities to receive a first-class education.”

As a multi-campus university, Laurier has a wealth of programs and expertise at its campuses in Brantford and Waterloo and at its Faculty of Social Work in Kitchener and its office in downtown Toronto. The new video-conferencing technology will allow Brantford students and faculty to participate in lectures and guest-speaker events being held at other Laurier locations. It will also enable staff and faculty to participate in meetings via video-conferencing.

“Laurier has evolved into a successful multi-campus university and this state-of-the-art technology will allow our students, faculty and staff to take advantage of the wide range of opportunities and expertise that exists at each campus,” said Laurier president Max Blouw. “We would like to thank the federal government, and Brant MP Phil McColeman in particular, for their continued investment in education.”

Lesley Cooper, acting principal and vice-president of Laurier Brantford, said the video-conferencing technology will improve the overall integration between Laurier’s campuses. 

“This equipment will help us overcome some of the time and distance challenges that exist with a multi-campus structure, and will allow our students, faculty and staff to focus on the many benefits and advantages that flow from the multi-campus model,” she said.