WINDSOR, ONT. -- A new Esports arena and large auditorium will be features of the new $23 million expansion at St. Clair College’s Windsor campus.

St. Clair College is growing with a new Zekelman Centre of Business and Information Technology. The college unveiled the design Wednesday, which will see the addition of two floors for an additional 40,000 square feet of student study areas, meeting rooms and offices for faculty.

“This Centre will give our students the resources to study in a space that provides them with vast opportunities to learn and grow,” St. Clair College president Patti France said in a news release.

The large auditorium called Alumni Hall and the Esports area will be the “centerpieces” of the new build.

“I believe that this addition to the college will be beneficial for everyone as it will provide more available space to study and to feel more welcomed and comfortable here at St. Clair,” Student representative council president Gutierrez Calzada said. “This centre will add more value to our future students when they are deciding which college to attend as well.”

The project was approved last year. Funding for the centre will come from the college, student fees administered by the Student Representative Council, the Alumni Association as well as the Zekelman family.

“We are thrilled to finally break ground and commence the construction of what will be the area’s predominant school of business,” said Barry Zekelman, chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries.

“The Zekelman School of Business and Information Technology will provide a platform for future entrepreneurs to launch their careers and pursue their dreams. We are proud to have our name associated with such a great community institution.”

The college says Alumni Hall in the new Zekelman Centre will be used for guest speakers, lectures and other events.

“To finally have a modern building to call our home is pretty exciting,” said James Marsh, dean of the Zekelman School of Business and Information Technology. “It will allow us to grow further.”

Marsh said St. Clair College is “leading the way” in terms of the new Esports arena which is slated to be the first of its kind in Canada.

Many of the 5,000 students enrolled in the St. Clair College business program will continue to attend classes at the Zekelman School of Information Technology on Riverside Drive.