The Place to Be

After nearly seven years of planning (see Creating the Campus), FDU-Vancouver classes began at 840-842 Cambie Street in Vancouver’s dynamic Yaletown district on September 4, 2007.

Ian Haslam, FDU-Vancouver Campus Provost, says the location, in the heart of downtown Vancouver, is ideal. “Yaletown is busy, vibrant and rich in 21st-century urban services. Our campus is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of downtown life, wonderful restaurants, incredible sporting venues, superb shops and coffee houses.” In particular, students have nearby access to the Vancouver Public Library and the BC Place sports complex.

The campus occupies the entire first floor of a five-story building. The 17,900-square-foot site includes five state-of-the-art classrooms, two fully equipped computer labs, a multimedia lab, a library information resource center, two seminar rooms, faculty and staff offices and a student lounge.

“The campus is wireless and utilizes the latest fiber-optic technology,” Haslam says. “All classrooms are ‘smart classrooms’ with a selection of dry and electronic whiteboards, screens and centrally controlled projectors.” With sliding doors and rooms that can be combined, he says the teaching spaces “are cozy when they need to be and expansive when called upon. The space is superbly crafted and designed. It is perfect for what we need.”

Photographer Steve McCurry discusses the exhibit, “Afghanistan’s Children: The Next Generation,” at FDU-Vancouver.

Adorning the walls of the new campus are poignant images taken by one of the world’s great photographers, Steve McCurry. Best known for his haunting photograph of the green-eyed Afghan girl that appeared on the cover of National Geographic, McCurry helped commemorate the opening of the new campus with an exhibit of his photographs of Afghan children and a standing-room-only lecture at the facility.

McCurry’s photographs will remain on display through the campus’s first year. Alongside the images are quotes from Fairleigh Dickinson University President J. Michael Adams’ recent book, Coming of Age in a Globalized World: The Next Generation.

Adams adds, “We believe we share a common vision with Steve: to help people better understand other cultures, to appreciate how connected humanity is and to inspire people to work to improve the world. We were thrilled he was able to join us in Vancouver and to be a part of this historic adventure.”

“It’s incredibly fitting that our walls now feature the work of this amazing photographer, who with great skill captures the essence of humanity,” Haslam says, “as well as the thought-provoking comments concerning globalization and global education. The exhibit is really all about the ‘next generation’ of children and what we are doing to help prepare them for the future.”

next …

Going Global | The Place to Be | The People
The Heart of the Matter | Leaving their Mark
Creating the Campus

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For a print copy of FDU Magazine, featuring this and other stories, contact Rebecca Maxon, editor,
201-692-7024 or maxon@fdu.edu.