The following statement was issued on Friday, April 25:
91亚色 has selected Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan as potential municipal partners in their bid to build a new university campus in 91亚色 Region.
The new campus is part of 91亚色鈥檚 plan to respond to the Call for Proposals by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to increase student capacity in areas of growing demand for postsecondary education. 聽
Last week, 91亚色 heard proposals from six 91亚色 Region municipalities. Though initially expecting to announce a short list of two municipalities, following the meetings 91亚色 and Seneca decided to expand the short list.
鈥淲e heard such remarkable presentations from these three municipalities, who went far above and beyond to showcase their capabilities and commitment that we decided to expand our list. We believe that any one of these three candidate municipalities would be excellent partners in this major undertaking,鈥 said 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥91亚色 is deeply honoured that so many municipalities in 91亚色 Region are interested in working with us. All participating have demonstrated a strong commitment to postsecondary education, and full support from their local councils and communities.鈥澛
鈥淓very potential partner in 91亚色 Region made an excellent case for an expanded postsecondary presence,鈥 said Seneca College President David Agnew. 鈥淲e are delighted to be working in a strong partnership with 91亚色 to expand access to today鈥檚 and tomorrow鈥檚 students.鈥
91亚色 believes Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan stood out because they are well served by a well-developed transportation infrastructure that can attract students from across the Greater Toronto Area, and demonstrated that they have strongly developed visions for vibrant urban centres that can readily include a university campus.聽
All three municipalities will return in early May for a more detailed review. The preferred municipality will be announced in late May.
鈥淎 fair evaluation process, open to all 91亚色 Region municipalities, is critical for us to select the one most aligned with 91亚色鈥檚 vision for a new and innovative university campus in 91亚色 Region,鈥 added Shoukri. 聽聽
Each municipality was evaluated based on its ability to demonstrate alignment with 10 core principles, including the following: 聽
- Easily accessible to Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) residents by multi-modal transit.
- Supporting the Ontario government鈥檚 鈥淏ig Move鈥 plan through adherence to principles of transit-oriented development.
- Delivering professionally oriented programs to support the needs of 91亚色 Region.
- Defining an identity through its physical presence in the urban centre.
- Being a catalyst for social and economic development.
- Being a model of smart growth and sustainability.
- Proximity to partners for experiential learning and possible spin-offs.
鈥淲e are excited to be pursuing this opportunity,鈥 concludes Shoukri. 鈥淭he potential for a new 91亚色 campus in 91亚色 Region is a significant development forward in our overall 91亚色 Region Strategy to forge connections between the University, Seneca College and all municipalities.鈥
91亚色 will submit its final bid proposal to the province in September 2014.