Great Northern Way Campus

Infobox University
name = Great Northern Way Campus Ltd


established = 2001
type = Private Limited Company
faculty = 6 full-time
president = Professor Dennis Pavlich
CEO = Professor Dennis Pavlich
students = 21
city = Vancouver
state = British Columbia
country = Canada
campus = Urban, 7.5 ha (0.075 km²)
affiliations = University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design
website = [http://www.gnwc.ca/ www.gnwc.ca]
coor = coord|49|16|3|N|123|5|30|W|type:edu|display=inline,title

Great Northern Way Campus Ltd (GNWC) is a private limited company and educational enterprise located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the offspring of a consortium of four local academic institutions (the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and the British Columbia Institute of Technology) that has attracted significant public and private funding. Its stated purpose is to become "a centre of convergence for arts and culture, digita­l media and the environment." [ [http://www.gnwc.ca/?q=our_vision "Our Vision." GNWC Website] ] At present, it manages a Masters Degree in Digital Media, which admitted its first students in the Fall of 2007.

History

In 2000, the industrial distributor Finning International donated 7.5 hectares (20 acres) of former industrial land in the False Creek flats area of Vancouver to the four academic partner institutions. ["Finning Donates Land for High-Tech Campus: Four institutions of higher learning get six city blocks east of False Creek." "The Vancouver Sun" (Nov 17, 2001)] The presidents of each institution, along with municipal and regional government officials, as well as representatives of private industry, decided to develop this brownfield area into a collaborative, mixed-use campus and commercial environment.

For the first several years of its existence, the company ran at a sizeable loss: almost CAD$1.4million in 2005, for instance. [ [http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/gre/financial_statements/05/eciad_0405.pdf Emily Carr financial statements for 2005] ] The extent of this unprofitability is now decreasing. [See for instance [http://www.finance.ubc.ca/financialreporting/documents/UBC2007ConsolidatedFinancialStatementsshortversion_000.pdf UBC consolidated financial statements of 2007] , in which GNWC represented a net loss to the university of CAD$250,000, compared to CAD$364,000 for the previous year.]

In January 2007, the consortium established a framework for academic programming, determining that all GNWC degrees are to be jointly credentialed by the four partner institutions, and will bear the seals and logos of each. [cite web|url=http://www.gnwc.ca/media/GNWC_2007AnnualReport_public_v2_c.pdf|title=GNWC 2007 Year in Review]

Educational program

The Masters of Digital Media (MDM) program is GNWC's first academic program. This 20-month, full-time graduate degree program was launched in September 2007 with an initial cohort of 21 students. The curriculum includes a combination of supervised project coursework and internships, and students work in interdisciplinary groups with both faculty members and industry professionals. [cite web|url=http://mdm.gnwc.ca/|title=Masters of Digital Media program website]

The program is backed by a 2006 grant of CAD$40.5 million from the Province of British Columbia [cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2006/mr-06-021.html|title=$40M for New Program Gives BC Competitive Edge in Digital Entertainment Industry, Media Release, UBC Public Affairs, Feb. 22, 2006] and by a 2007 commitment of CAD$1 million from the US computer game firm Electronic Arts. [cite web|url=http://www.gnwc.ca/media/2007may03_vcrsun_digital_program_gets_1_million_boost_from_ea%20.pdf|title=Digital program gets $1-million boost from EA, Vancouver Sun, May 03, 2007] It also charges students $10,000 per semester ($15,000 for non-Canadians). [ [http://mdm.gnwc.ca/?q=faq#FAQprogramcost "How much does the program cost?" MDM website] ] Justifying this expense, the company's then CEO, Bruce Clayman, described it as "premium tuition for a premium program." [Randy Shore, [http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4fae259d-f1a1-4858-b664-7ba7bebcf150 "Second Life lands B.C. campus"] . "Vancouver Sun" (October 18, 2006).]

The program has won some media attention for using Second Life as a recruiting tool. [Randy Shore, [http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=4fae259d-f1a1-4858-b664-7ba7bebcf150 "Second Life lands B.C. campus"] . "Vancouver Sun" (October 18, 2006).] The MDM program is housed in the Centre for Digital Media, a multimedia facility housed in a former office building. Parts of this building are also leased out.

At an earlier stage in the planning process, the MDM was to have been dubbed a "Masters in Digital Entertainment." It had also been expected that courses "combin [ing] policy research with community action" would be offered by Summer 2005, and that courses in "theatre, industrial design and the graphic arts" as well as a scenography class would be available. [cite web|url=http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/ubcreports/2005/05feb03/planning.html|title=Planning for the Great Northern Way Campus|work=UBC Reports 51.2|publisher=University of British Columbia|date=2005-02-03. ] As of 2008, courses "in the areas of Sustainability and Arts + Culture" are still at the planning stage. [cite web|url=http://www.gnwc.ca/students|title=Students|publisher=Great Northern Way Campus Ltd]

Rental business

The GNWC complex is mixed-use, and the company leases much of its space both back to its four parent academic institutions and to commercial tenants.

Academic research projects that rent space at GNWC include BCIT's Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology [cite web|url=http://www.greenroof.bcit.ca|title=Centre for the Advancement of Green Roof Technology website] and UBC’s Solar Canopy Project [cite web|url=http://www.physics.ubc.ca/ssp/solar_canopy.htm|title=UBC's Solar Canopy Project website] . BCIT also offers trades and apprenticeship programs and courses, as well as green roof technology courses, within the site's precincts.

In addition, New Media B.C., UBC Properties Trust, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia all have offices in the GNWC grounds. There are also artistic production and rehearsal spaces for rent. [cite web|url=http://www.gnwc.ca/media/2008jan01_globe_and_mail_a_plan_to_end_vancouvers_theatrical_brain%20drain.pdf|title=A plan to end Vancouver's theatrical brain drain, The Globe and Mail, Jan 01, 2008]

Property development

GNWC has announced ambitious plans to redevelop its donated property. The land is to be divided into four zones: an academic core, which will be surrounded by four blocks devoted to business and commerce, plus a large residential development, and "green space and public amenity" at the other edge of the site. [cite web|url=http://www.gnwc.ca/campus_development|title=Campus Development]

External links

* [http://www.gnwc.ca Official website]
* [http://mdm.gnwc.ca Masters of Digital Media Program site]

References