St. Clair College will not only officially open its expanded student centre on Wednesday, it unveils the centre's new name.
The Don France Student Commons was part of a much larger project on campus, the construction of a new academic tower at the college. It cost $23-million and took two years to build the tower. The college's administration split the expense with the Student Representative Council and student fees.
For over 25 years, Don France has been the student representative council general manager and executive director. He retires on Wednesday.
The tower will include new classroom space, lounges, and office space. It'll house the Zekelman Schools of Business and Information Technology.
Some of the features of the new student centre are an extension of the college's commitment to e-sports.
On Wednesday, officials will also unveil "Nexus," a state-of-the-art arena and broadcasting facility for Saints Gaming, the college's e-sports team.
St. Clair was one of the first postsecondary schools in Canada to introduce e-sports as a varsity pursuit and a program of study. Since 2016, Saints Gaming teams have won many national and international titles. Hundreds of thousands of spectors regularly view the games on streaming services.
