Building on Nipissing University's future.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: SPECIAL REPORT: NORTH BAY

With ever-increasing enrolment figures and a fervent ambition to expand, Nipissing University is playing host to a wealth of construction activity.

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"The school is definitely growing and expanding," says Bob Pipe, spokesperson.

"We're looking to determine what we need to move into the future. As well, we're seeing a space crunch at the university, so these kinds of projects are things that we actually need."

With 3,840 full-time students enrolled at Nipissing University in 2006, the school has seen a notable increase in attendance from a decade prior. In 1996, there were 1,584 students enrolled full-time at the university, making last year's numbers a 142 per cent jump.

In an effort to cope with these growing numbers, the school's various expansion plans include a new 23,000-square-foot, three-storey science wing, which will connect two existing on-campus buildings.

The tendering process is due to begin for the facility in late October, with construction slated to begin next year for completion in September 2009.

The facility will allow for expanded learning opportunities through new laboratories, research equipment and classrooms, and is expected to service a variety of programs including biology, psychology and geography.

What's more, the new science wing will provide sufficient space for the school to begin investigating and considering a variety of new graduate programs. Currently the school has such a program, a Master of Education program. First offered in 2007-2008 academic year, the full-time program currently has 25 students enrolled--a strong showing for its inaugural year, Pipe says.

By creating additional space and expanding the kinds of facilities necessary for advanced research, the school will be able to begin striving for additional capacity for higher-level education through added graduate programs.

As an example of the school's existing ambitions, several of the faculty members in biology and psychology have already received research grants to buy equipment, but lack the space to house it.

"We're looking to expand upon some new areas of excellence, because we don't feel we've reached our full potential in that regard."

To help provide much-needed space to existing programs, however, Nipissing is also in the process of...