Parkland College Recieves Long-Awaited Funds for Student Center

The approval of state capital money for a student services center at Parkland College means administrators will start exploring other sources to complete the facility.

The chairman of the college's board of Trustees, Jim Ayers, says the building is much larger in scope and size than when originally conceived more than 15 years ago as part of a Campus Master Plan. The state is expected to fund roughly half of the center's cost... or $15 million. The rest would likely be sought through a combination of student fee hikes and a referendum. Ayers says such a center is now looked upon as more than a place for students to register for classes and discuss financial aid.

"I think we anticipate the Foundation is going to move there, a restaurant and hospitality program will be put in there someplace, and a wide variety of activites will all be brought under the umbrella of student services," says Ayers. Parkland Vice President of Student Services Linda Moore says having a student center would also free up existing offices for instructional space. While there's no timetable for building such a facility, Ayers says Parkland would likely decide by this fall on a plan to fund the building's remaining cost.

Ayers holds out hope that federal money could be a part of that as well. He cites comments made Tuesday by President Barack Obama, who wants to pump $12 billion dollars into the nation's community colleges, including $2.5 billion for construction.