At the heart of the relationship between Trent University Durham GTA and the City of Oshawa is a partnership built on a shared objective to bring new opportunities to the community.

With a number of new initiatives and developments underway, the University and municipality are positioning Oshawa as a hub for innovative applied research and experiential learning opportunities as Trent expands its campus and student population.

A new chapter at Trent Durham

This fall, Trent Durham opened the doors to a brand-new residence and academic building that was recognized as an outstanding concrete project in the 2020 Ontario Concrete Awards. The new building provides students an opportunity to live on campus for the first time.

The expansion was supported and championed by the City.

“The City of Oshawa’s contributions and collaborations have been vital to the continued success of Trent Durham’s expansion in the community,” said Dr. Scott Henderson, dean and head of Trent University Durham GTA. “Our new residence and academic building is a draw for students who want to live and study here in Oshawa. With community-led initiatives such as City Idea Lab and TeachingCity, we are offering our students unique integrated learning opportunities that will prepare them for life after graduation.”

The City’s commitment to the University, and other local infrastructure projects, has played a role in enhancing community connectivity in the surrounding Trent Durham campus area. It is expected that future infrastructure enhancements, such as the proposed GO Train service locations, will greatly contribute to enhanced access to post-secondary institutions in the city.

Local students see benefits of partnership

Numerous examples of such partnerships showcase the depth of the University’s relationship with the City. In summer 2020, upper-year Trent Durham students joined their counterparts from Ontario Tech University in a six-week City Idea Lab course to unpack and analyze the community impacts of COVID-19 on Oshawa. In 2019, third-year Child & Youth Studies students participated in a project that tasked students with ensuring youth voices were represented through an increasingly diverse Oshawa Youth Council.

“Through these opportunities, students have learned to navigate the working world, present their ideas, and achieve attainable solutions while adhering to realities of budgets and scope. They can also envision what their future careers may look like,” said Dr. Alba Agostino, assistant professor in the Child & Youth Studies program at Trent University Durham GTA.

Growing Trent Durham’s community presence

In addition to partnering with the University to address urban issues, the City of Oshawa has been a major contributor to the developments at the Trent Durham campus. In 2019, the City gifted 1.85 acres of land (first announced in 2017), adding a further contribution of a 0.15 piece of property in 2020, as well as established a $100k bursary for students.

Commenting on the Trent Durham expansion, Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter said: “The City of Oshawa is honoured to celebrate this exciting time of growth with Trent University Durham. Through this unique partnership, we are creating more academic opportunities for students in our community.”

“The City was proud to donate land to enable the expansion of the Trent Durham campus in Oshawa and to partner with the University to create a dedicated endowment fund. The new Endowment Fund supports students in need of financial assistance in our community and advances poverty reduction action items in the City’s Poverty Reduction Approach, Diversity and Inclusion Plan and Oshawa Strategic Plan,” added Mayor Carter.

The introduction of a new residence and academic building on campus will impact more than just the students who choose to live there.

“Durham Region’s vibrant arts and culture scene, and proximity to public transit and the GTA make it a destination of choice for a growing community of scholars,” said Dean Henderson.  “Our expansion and the new academic program offerings such as Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Communications and Strategic Change Management will prepare career-ready grads to support our local economy and drive future growth for years to come.”