Community college allocating funds to complete Academic Excellence Center area

BEATRICE – The Southeast Community College Board has authorized spending up to $820,000 to finish out a space located in the Academic Excellence Center, on the Beatrice Campus.

The lower-level space has been unfinished, but Campus Director Brett Bright says there are plans for it.  "We're looking to move art, music and theatre out of Truman Hall. Basically, we're moving art to the Kennedy building...art and pottery...and music and theatre, we're looking to move them, too. So, what we're doing is using that space that has been left vacant....and creating two new classrooms, two offices and a practice room...and then on the opposite side, we're still going to have a vanilla space, hopefully for a new program."

Bright says the open space currently has concrete walls but no finishing. The spending authorized by the board includes construction of about $583,000…furnishings and audio-visual equipment. The board took the action meeting at the SCC Continuing Education Center in Lincoln, on Tuesday.

In other actions, the SCC Board also approved submitting a new program proposal to the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. It is an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Healthcare Management.

The board also named Sampson Construction as the construction manager for a new Lincoln Campus student housing project.