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Associated Alumni

UNB breaks ground on new residence

A new residence will open its doors on UNB Saint John’s campus next fall.

The 40,000-sq. ft. building will have 104 beds in adjoining rooms and is the first geothermal heated and cooled residence at UNB.

A ground breaking ceremony was held on Friday, Nov. 8, to commemorate the yet-to-be-named building, which is expected to be ready to welcome students by September 2020.

“We are thrilled to offer more students on our Saint John campus an opportunity to live in a new, environmentally designed residence. The design and development of this new residence responds to the current needs and values of our students and our university. It’s modern, private and environmentally responsible,” says Paul Mazerolle, president and vice-chancellor of UNB. “It embodies the future-oriented mindset of our university, and it will enable us to showcase the many great things that are happening at UNB.”

UNB Saint John has two residences on its campus – Sir James Dunn and Dr. Colin B. Mackay. Both are at capacity with students from all corners of the world and there is a waiting list for any spot that may become available.

“This is just the start of the great things happening on our campus,” says Petra Hauf, vice-president Saint John. “This new residence will add to the beauty of our campus. More importantly, it will build upon the diverse community foundation we already have.”

Saint John mayor Don Darling shares this view. “UNB Saint John is a critical component of our region’s growth agenda. The expansion of our beautiful campus means more services available to students and increases our ability to retain graduates,” he says. “Saint John needs strong community partners like UNB Saint John in order to reach its full potential. Today’s ground-breaking serves as another big step forward for our region.”

Patrick Hickey, president of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) is excited to see this new development. He, along with the SRC, and all students at UNB Saint John, see it as "another sign of the growth of our campus,” he says. “This will help increase the size of our student body, provide more opportunities on campus, and improve campus community engagement. We are excited to welcome more new residence students than ever before to UNB Saint John next year."