The ramshackle bank building on Kooyoo Street has been given a radical makeover and has reopened as a the city's newest learning space.
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The Griffith's Country Universities Centre had an unofficial opening on Thursday and another centre in Leeton is due to open up in the coming months.
The study centres feature shiny new computer labs and videoconferencing rooms which will allow students to take on university degrees by distance education.
The centre is a not-for-profit that will be free of charge to students studying any form of tertiary education.
It's attracted a great deal of government money, including a $1.36 million federal funding agreement and a $1.3 million NSW Government affiliate funding agreement.
Students will be given a swipe card that will give them access to the centre's facility from early in the morning until late at night.
It'll be run by manager Erin Callaghan, who said she is excited at the prospect of growing the student base in Griffith.
"We're looking forward to getting those students in and providing them the opportunity to complete their higher education goals," Ms Callaghan said.
Her own goal is to have at least 50 students enrolled at the Griffith site and at least 25 students at the Leeton site.
More broadly, she wants to stop the brain drain out of regional areas and improve the learning opportunities for locals.
Regional youth enroll in university at less than half the rate of their metropolitan counterparts, and Ms Callaghan is keen to close that gap.
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The Griffith and Leeton study centres are two of the 16 regional study hubs being set up around Australia.
The Griffith centre is already open to students as of July 5, but the "official" opening is scheduled for later in the year.
Western Riverina Country Universities Centre chairman and Griffith City Council mayor John Dal Broi said the establishment of the centres had been a massive team effort by the committee.
"This is a committee that really got behind the project," Councillor Dal Broi said.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
