UNIVERSITY CITY? Could Coffs Harbour become an iconic university city?
If you hear the term university city, odds are you think of sandstone buildings and possibly students donning the colours of their home rowing team.
Coffs Harbour is defined by the NSW Government’s 2036 North Coast Regional Plan as a regional city and it does home a Southern Cross University campus.
But would you consider Coffs a university city?
SCU Head of School of Health and Human Sciences Professor Iain Graham asked this question during today’s Coffs Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
He raised points Coffs could benefit economically, socially and culturally if local businesses integrated more with the university and its students.
Prof Graham said higher university fees set to be introduced next year could mean more local students choosing to either stay at or close to home rather than moving out to bigger metropolitan regions.
With this, Prof Graham also raised the point more was needed to be done to attract and retain students leaving Coffs Coast businesspeople thinking of possibilities.