Laurentian University undergoes a major facelift

Morning North4:57Laurentian University hopes renovations will attract students

School is just around the corner and much of the Laurentian University campus is still a construction site. Hear how the school's massive 55 dollar renovation project is going.

With school just a few weeks away, much of Laurentian University is a major construction site as it undergoes a $51 million renovation.

The school hopes the renovated facilities will draw students up north, said Brad Parkes, executive director of facility services at the university.

"This is a game changer to the university," he said.

"As we sit back and look at what we're doing, we're thinking, 'this is a huge change. The last big change was in the mid 60s.'"

Competition for students is stiff, and a revamped university will hopefully give Laurentian an edge.

"The student numbers now are mostly in the south in Ontario," Parkes said.

"We have to draw them up here. So we're in competition with every university in southern Ontario, as well as northern Ontario."

The university is working hard to make sure students and staff can still carry on while construction is underway, Parkes added.

"We're going to be finishing things up in the other buildings in the evenings and weekends and that type of thing," he said.

"We're going to be here for over another year. So there's going to be disruptions going through the school year."

Parkes said several of the renovated buildings will be ready for the fall.

However, the entire project won't be finished until January 2017.