Alumni News | Vol. 20, No. 2 | Winter 2012
ALUMNI NEWS MAGAZINE | 100th Anniversary Edition
Building openings are pivotal moments in the life of an institution. This fall, both UNB Fredericton and UNB Saint John held ribbon-cutting ceremonies, officially opening both The Richard J. CURRIE CENTER and the Hans W. Klohn Commons.
The Richard J. CURRIE CENTER will shape the face of fitness and recreation in the Fredericton area, and provide leadership and research in human performance and kinesiology. This world-class centre officially opened its doors on Oct. 7, welcoming students, faculty and the greater community with open arms.
The $62.5-million building is a centre for excellence, offering programs and information on wellness, fitness and health in a setting that boasts cutting-edge research, equipment and innovation. The CURRIE CENTER is home to a team of researchers and partners who will focus on fitness and lifestyle assessment and evaluation, pediatric weight management, cardiac rehabilitation, workplace wellness, orthopedic surgery rehabilitation, healthy aging and much more. It includes a human performance lab, free-weight equipment rooms, a 161-metre indoor track, a sport medicine clinic, and a lifestyle and fitness assessment centre.
The CURRIE CENTER will also serve as the new headquarters for UNB's Varsity Reds volleyball and basketball teams. The building, with its impressive architectural design, features a Performance Hall that converts from a performance court to a ceremonial space which can accommodate up to 1,800 people.
Additionally, the CURRIE CENTER has two full-size gyms used for recreation programs, and fitness and outreach activities. The official opening ceremony, made possible by Friends of the University and UNB's 225th Anniversary Patrons, featured the Atlantic Sinfonia orchestra, tenor Derrick Miller, singer/songwriter Andy Brown, fiddler Kathleen GoreyMcSorley, the so-member Fredericton Ladies Choir, the Atlantic Ballet Theatre of Canada and the UNB Varsity Reds.
UNB Saint John has seen an unprecedented amount of development in recent years, with the refurbishment of the Canada Games Stadium and the addition of the Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick facility and the New Brunswick Community College's Allied Health building. On Sept. 7, 2011, UNB Saint John opened its doors to the business community, students, faculty, staff and the university community to unveil the Hans W. Klohn Commons - a state of-the-art, student-centered learning and social space, named for prominent New Brunswick businessman Hans W. Klohn. Ushered through the hall with the sounds of the Saint John String Quartet, guests got a glimpse of the new UNB Saint John - including iMac workstations, cafe-style seating and even Java Moose coffee.
The commons is the library of the future - featuring artwork from around the world and areas that can be transformed in minutes from seating spaces to guest lecture halls and back again. The Hans W. Klohn Commons is the first building that students, faculty and visitors will see as they enter UNB Saint John's Tucker Park campus.
The $25-million project was made possible by contributions from the federal government's Knowledge Infrastructure program, the Province of New Brunswick, the City of Saint John, members of the community, alumni, faculty, staff, corporations and friends.
