$100 million to expand campus
THE future of the University of Southern Queensland Springfield was secured yesterday with a $100 million commitment from USQ and the Federal Government.
USQ signed a $50 million deal to buy the auditorium, central building and 3ha of land from the Springfield Land Corporation.
USQ also unveiled plans to build a second multi-level building at a cost of $50 million above the existing car park.
The building will be largely funded by the Federal Government and will open for Semester 1, 2014.
USQ vice-chancellor and president Professor Jan Thomas said the expansion would allow for increased campus capacity.
"We've leased this building for six years and today we've moved from being a tenant to a landlord," Prof Thomas said.
"We're currently at full capacity with 1500 students studying here, so this new building will allow us to offer more places."
Prof Thomas said the campus would also offer more courses when the second building opened.
"The new building will be mostly teaching space, and we'll be able to offer more courses including Engineering."
Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann said the expansion was terrific for Ipswich.
"This funding will increase the services that this regional university offers; it will open up a range of options for Ipswich students," he said.
