SFU's Downtown Campus Program had a modest beginning on February 22, 1980 with a small storefront location and a couple of rented classrooms at 822 Howe Street. Developed as an extension of the Burnaby campus evening programs, the downtown program was established to help SFU strengthen its community identity and recruit new students. A selection of extension credit courses and non-credit community education programs were offered to adult students who sought to complete or upgrade their existing university education. By 1981 growing enrollment numbers forced the program to move to a larger site at 849 Howe Street. Known as the Downtown Education Centre (DEC), the space was shared with BCIT who managed and coordinated the Centre through their Division of Continuing Education and Industry Services.
Faculty from the Burnaby campus traveled downtown to teach at the Centre and brought in community professionals to assist them. In 1983 the Downtown Campus Planning Committee was struck by Senate to survey the downtown community and assist in the planning of proposed sites for a downtown campus. Downtown enrollment continued to grow and each year new programs were tested as administrators worked towards developing a curriculum that would be unique to a downtown campus. During this time a number of programs were created including the School for Liberal and Professional Studies, the City Program, the Fine Arts Program, the Writing Program and the Professional Management Studies Program.
In 1989 the new downtown campus was opened in the remodeled historic Spencer Building on West Hastings Street. Since then, SFU at Harbour Centre has continued to expand its curriculum to the needs of the downtown community, offering courses in sciences, liberal arts, and applied, professional and interdisciplinary fields of study leading to certificates, diplomas, and undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition, SFU at Harbour Centre hosts professional development seminars, short courses, conferences and lectures.
Sub-series consists of records relating to the planning, development, and administration of the Downtown Campus Program and its successor, SFU at Harbour Centre. Activities, events and topics documented include downtown program proposals, budget development, student information packages, an invitation to the opening of the Downtown Program in 1980, student questionnaires, course schedules, Downtown Planning Committee meetings, and an engraved paperweight from SFU Harbour Center. Records include correspondence and working papers, minutes, statistics, reports, news releases, and financial working papers.
