Southeastern Community College in West Burlington has gotten approval from the Board of Trustees to construct a four-story residence hall.
Trustees voted to move forward with a plan to enter into a partnership with Campus community Developers (CCD) to build a new residence hall. It will be located on the south side of SCC’s West Burlington campus, across from Building 400. That space currently serves as a parking lot.
The top Three floors will contain residence suites that would accommodate four to six students per room. The ground floor will be divided up between food service and retail facilities, commons area, a laundromat, and student study spaces. Depending on floorplan configurations, the facility will have between 120 and 144 beds.
SCC President Dr. Michael Ach says the facility is a welcome addition for students, and dovetails nicely with the current Building the Dream campus expansion initiatives under way.
“When you add this residence hall project to our new Health Professions Center, our Hall of Sciences, and all the renovation projects under way on our West Burlington campus, and the new Industrial Technologies Training Center and related enhancements on our Keokuk campus, you can see how we are committed to completely transforming our college. This is an exciting time.” Ash continues that thanks to the partnership with CCd, the College will be able to provide a first-class facility for students.
“You don’t typically see a residence hall of this caliber at a community college. CCD brings a lot to the table in terms of investment and resources. We could not have afforded to build a facility like this on our own.”
CCD will own and maintain the facility. It will also manage the food service and retail operations. SCC will provide residence life, staff and general custodial services.
While there are a number of details yet to be worked out, completion is anticipated for mid-August of next year, just in time for students to move in for the fall semester.
The current agreement calls for a single structure. However, officials have a plan for expansion that includes additional buildings to accommodate increased demand in the future.
“With the Building the Dream initiative, we’re really upping our game. The new facilities are designed to attract not just local students, but students from outside the area as well. Now in addition to providing modern academic facilities, we can offer an even higher quality residence life experience as well,” explains Ash.
SCC’s three existing residence facilities, Winegard Hall, Witte Hall and Millennium Hall, will remain in operation until the new facility is completed. As current and scheduled construction and renovation projects are completed, their viability will be assessed and incorporated into the college’s Master Facilities Plan.
For more information about SCC’s Building the Dream initiative and associated capital campaign, visit www.scciowa.edu/buildingthedream.
