CAMPUS NEWS
NWU Vaal welcomes
Learning & Research
Commons
Annette Willemse
The Vaal Triangle Campus of the North-West University
(NWU Vaal) recently opened the doors to its brand new,
multi-million rand Learning and Research Commons.
This project – the biggest infrastructure project in the history of the campus, represents a R70 million full-service
learning, research, and project space. The ultra-modern
Learning and Research Commons is home to not only
the Campus Library, but also other vital support services
such as Academic Development and Support; Student
Counseling and Development; Information Technology
Support and Writing and Reading Centres. The facility
also houses the newly established South African Water
History Archival Repository (SAWHAR). The latter represents a unique collaboration between the NWU Vaal
and the Water Research Commission (WRC) of South
Africa.
In her address, Prof Linda du Plessis – Vice Rector of
the NWU Vaal, explained that the boundaries of traditional academic libraries have begun to dissolve and
therefore entities such as the Learning and Research
Commons represents a holistic learning environment
that combine research, technology and student services
to stimulate seamless learning. She furthermore stated
that the Learning and Research Commons boasts with
modern amenities; dedicated spaces for group collaboration; individual study facilities; a 24 hour technology and study facilities and a dedicated wing for
postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
“The new facility says to a student: here you have
the tools, room to collaborate, equipment, advice,
research options, and access to expert information.
Now it is up to you to build something worthwhile such
as a paper, a presentation and ultimately an education”,
says Prof Du Plessis.
According to the Campus Rector, Prof Thanyani Mariba,
the dream of a multi-faceted facility such as the Learning and Research Commons, came into being in 2010.
After intensive planning and creative considerations
the construction commenced in January 2012. In
relating the logistics involved in such an endeavor,
Prof Mariba mentioned the following statistics: a total of 460 000 bricks; 401km steel reinforcing, 3
200m3 concrete, 6 000m3 earth filling; 81 concrete pillars (9 meters deep) and a floor area of
9 800m2.
The Learning and Research Commons was
formally opened by Dr Theuns Eloff (outgoing
Vice Chancellor of the NWU).
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