Since site preparation began in 2015, the Capital region has eagerly been awaiting the completion of NorQuest’s Singhmar Centre for Learning. As of August, the Centre opened and students began to enjoy the new space and its many amenities.
The Singhmar Centre for Learning houses a learner centre that spans majority of the second floor. It includes a testing and assessment space, library, disability services, an underground parkade and more. The Centre also features 24 classrooms and 26 laboratories, an Indigenous student centre, Centre for Growth and Harmony, a cafeteria, and bookstore. Food services, scheduled to open during fall, include Subway, Tim Hortons and Pizza 73. Also expected to open later this year is the 1000 Women Child Care Centre. The facility has plans to become LEED Silver Certified.
The Centre received its official name back in 2014, when it received a very generous donation from Dr. Prem Singhmar and Dr. Saroj Singhmar.
”This generous gift from one of the community’s most prominent and influential families will leave a lasting legacy for students, our city, and our province,” said Dr. Jodi Abbott, NorQuest College’s president and CEO.
“Today is a very special day for me, my wife Saroj, and the Singhmar family,” Dr. Prem Singhmar said at the gift announcement. “My family’s decision to support NorQuest College is rooted in a shared vision—a vision of growth and opportunity for all Albertans.”
Doctors Prem and Saroj Singhmar arrived in Alberta from India in 1985. After purchasing a chicken farm, they soon branched out and diversified their interests among a daycare, gas stations, residential home construction and more. The Singhmars have several successful commercial and hotel properties, and they are well known in Edmonton as philanthropists who have made generous contributions to many of the city’s learning, arts and youth-focused institutions. Dr. Prem Singhmar is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his community-building work.
The Government of Alberta had also committed to a $170 million grant for the Centre, and additional funds were raised by NorQuest College through Maximizing Opportunities: The NorQuest Campaign.
Led by Dr. Jodi Abbott, who works tirelessly to ensure students have the access and the facilities they need to receive the leading-edge education that will prepare them for the many challenges of the workforce, NorQuest College services approximately 15,850 part-time, full-time and continuing education students per year. The post-secondary institution is known for its diversity – 50 per cent of the students are born outside of Canada, and 70 first languages are spoken on campus.
To learn more about the Singhmar Centre for Learning, or for more information about NorQuest College, visit norquest.ca/singhmarcentre.aspx and norquest.ca. An onsite gallery provides renderings of the new facility. You can also receive updates about the Centre and the school on Facebook by following @NorquestCollege.
