Wallace McCain Learning Commons set to transform the Life Sciences Centre

Despite its name, the Life Sciences Centre (LSC) has never been the liveliest space for students to spend their time.

“Anybody who has spent any time [here] knows that it’s not the most welcoming of buildings,” admits Chris Moore, dean of science at Dalhousie, noting that it was built for a different era, both in architecture and in the university’s needs.

“It was always equipped with generous laboratories and lecture halls, but what it’s lacked is a space where students can gather. So every day, hundreds of students come through this building. They go to their lecture halls, they go to their labs, and after their studies are done, they leave. And they leave because there’s nowhere for them to be.”

That’s about to change. The LSC is about to be revolutionized with the construction of the Wallace McCain Learning Commons, set to begin next summer. The space is made possible thanks to a gift of $8 million to the university from Margaret McCain and her late husband, Wallace McCain – the latest donation in the university’s $250 million Bold Ambitions campaign.

A space for shared learning

The gift was celebrated Tuesday morning in the main foyer of the LSC, right beside the entrance to the building’s courtyard that will house the space. It will be the Dalhousie’s second Learning Commons, building on the success of the first Learning Commons in the Killam Library. The university’s campus master plan envisions four such spaces, spanning Dalhousie’s three Halifax campuses.

President Tom Traves described the Wallace McCain Learning Commons as “a space where students can come together and access the latest technology for their learning purposes; be close to one another and be able to work together in groups; have access to advisors and mentors who are on site...to create, essentially, a kind of intellectual and social sector for the university.”

While the Learning Commons is still being designed—images that were displayed at the event, such as the one above, are considered ‘ideas’—the project will transform the underutilized courtyard into an indoor atrium space, and provide a new, predominant entryway to the LSC facing the Hicks Building. The Learning Commons will be home to open workstation areas, study rooms, offices for advisors and student societies, and will allow students to access the latest learning technology.

Dr. Moore noted that they’re also envisioning natural elements in the design—perhaps a living green wall, rock walls or aquariums—as “reflections of the natural world that most of us spend our lives studying here in the building.”

Celebrating a legacy of giving

It’s the spirit of the proposed space that inspired the McCain family to contribute to the project.

“We strongly believe that especially the undergrad experience should be far more than a series of appointments,” said Margaret McCain, explaining how the Learning Commons will bring together students from different disciplines and backgrounds.

“This sharing is where ideas are generated, thinking is nurtured, action takes place. I think this will be one of the real labs for learning at Dalhousie.”

The McCains, who received honourary degrees from Dalhousie in 2007 and have a long legacy of philanthropy in education, agreed to make their donation prior to Wallace’s passing in May of this year.

“I want you to know that Wallace was as proud and happy as I am to be participating in this campaign,” said Ms. McCain, who added, “I do believe, however, that he is here in spirit.”

The McCains have a number of connections with Dalhousie, including a granddaughter and nephew presently studying at the university. Ms. McCain added that they are proud to consider themselves a Dalhousie family.

“[This is] a great opportunity to honour somebody who was truly a business genius,” said Dr. Traves, who also celebrated Wallace McCain’s generosity. “I had the opportunity on a number of occasions over the years to talk with him, and what came through always was a total engagement with life and the community that he lived and worked in. He was dedicated, along with his wife Margaret, towards building a better society.”

Supporting student success

With the McCains’ gift, Dalhousie’s Bold Ambitions campaign has raised $195 million of its $250 million goal. Two of the campaign’s major priorities to support student success and an enriched student experience, and the Wallace McCain Learning Commons is set to make a big impact on both.

“I can already see myself spending a great deal of time in the new Learning Commons,” said Mahmoud Hashish, president of the Dalhousie Science Society, who thanked the McCain family for the gift.

“It’s quite challenging at times to find space to study, space to meet with your group, or space to just take a break...The Wallace McCain learning commons will be a space where students can exchange ideas, promote creativity and engage in healthy debate – things I find to be quite central in a high-quality university experience.”

The Learning Commons is expected to open sometime in 2013.