McMaster updates plans for Burlington Campus

McMaster continues to make progress as it works towards opening a new campus in Burlington. Today, the University provided the Mayor and City Council with an update on the project, including a decision to pursue new sites within the City rather than the downtown location.

“This is an important step forward,” says McMaster provost, Ilene Busch-Vischniac. “The University is committed to establishing a campus in Burlington and to make the project successful we need to make sure that the site has the greatest potential in both the short and long-term. New potential sites have come to our attention that would better meet the needs for the DeGroote School of Business, allow greater accessibility and future expansion, and potentially open the campus earlier than would have been possible downtown.”

Busch-Vishniac said the consideration of these new site options does not affect the University's academic plans for the campus.

“The Centre for Advanced Management Studies is the focus for the campus. We are making significant progress in gaining the necessary approvals for the program and we're on track to take the academic and capital plan through our established governance process to the Board of Governors this December,” she says.

Over the past few months, plans have focussed on locating the campus on a city-owned parking lot in downtown Burlington. Because of the new site considerations, Open Houses hosted by the city and University that had been scheduled for Nov. 6 and 8 have been cancelled.

“McMaster is anxious to finalize its plans in Burlington. This project has been evolving since its inception and we continue to look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor, council and city staff,” says Busch-Vishniac.