Student center helps college achieve goals

GALVESTON — Galveston College’s two-story $5.7 million student center accomplishes two of the college’s long-term goals for its facilities.

The goals, set on a five-year track from 2007 to 2012, illustrate regents’ efforts to improve the college’s facilities to attract students to the campus.

The construction of a newer, bigger student center will help the college achieve its first goal of remodeling and expanding the Cheney Student Center, now a small, rundown, leaky one-story building with a single television. The new center will house the college’s food services, dining hall, student government offices, a large meeting space open to the community and the college’s bookstore.

The move of the bookstore to the student center will help the college establish its second long-term goal — establishing a one-stop shop in neighboring Moody Building for admissions, registration, counseling, advising, financial aid and business operations.

‘Priorities Reversed’

Regent Greg Roof worries that the new student center might also hinder some of the college’s long-term goals, such as expanding its vocational-technical programs.

“I think the college has its priorities reversed,” he said. “We should’ve built the vocational-technical centers first. It is my belief the community has, for a long time, felt that Galveston College has a reputation of wasting money. Look at Beacon Square (the lighthouse). That cost $1 million dollars and it doesn’t house a single student. If we go out and build a $5.7 million student center, then turn around and ask the community for a general obligation bond later, they’ll look at us and be like, ‘Wait. You have enough money.’”

Regents approved a more expensive, two-story building instead of a one-story student center in a split vote March 13. While proponents of the larger center argued that the nicer facility will help boost enrollment by attracting students to the college, opponents of the more costly facility said students are attracted to a college because of its programs, not its student center.

“I’ve taught at four universities and three community colleges and I’ve yet to hear a student say, ‘I came here because of the student center,’” Roof said.

Boosting Enrollment

Don Davison, faculty representative, said the faculty senate has not taken a position on the matter. He said professors trusted that the college’s new president, Myles Shelton, who preferred the two-story student center, over the cheaper one-story building, will boost enrollment.

Shelton nearly doubled the enrollment of Clarendon College in his tenure as president there.

“I think we haven’t taken a position on this because we have a lot confidence in the president,” Davison said.

Surveys show that students are not comfortable in the Cheney Student Center, said regent George Black.

“There not in a place where they could really decompress because it’s so dilapidated,” he said.

Black originally supported the one-story center, but switched his vote, citing an immediate need to move forward with the project so that it could be finished by fall 2009.

The original student center plan, laid out more than a year ago, called for a one-story center at a price tag of $1.8 million. The concept of a two-story building was first introduced by the architects from Carter Design Associates to a facilities committee. Three of those committee members recommended a one-story building, but two of them voted on the two-story building during the March meeting.

“I wanted to go ahead and get the thing running,” Black said. “There were two main drivers for the two-story

building. One was that it was to lessen the footprint of the building, leaving more land for future development ... The other is that it gives us an opportunity to get the extra space upstairs at today’s price rather than the price three, four, five years from now.”

Black said by reducing the center’s footprint, the college is saving its premium land for vocational-technical buildings. He said the more expensive student center won’t hinder those plans, since the student center is funded by revenue bonds, backed by tuition and fees, while vocational-technical buildings must be funded by general obligation bonds or from college reserves.

Funding The Center

Roof said he still believes there are better ways the college can be spending its money, such as expanding the nursing program and allied health programs.

“I really don’t believe a new student center is going to attract students,” he said.

Black says there is a “strong possibility” the entire student center might be funded by private donations.

The island-based Abe and Annie Siebel Foundation has donated $1.5 million toward the construction. The college is attempting to raise another $2.1 million in donations, but otherwise, the remaining cost will be funded through the college’s fund balance and revenue bonds.

The 21,818-square-foot, two-story student center is about 4,000 square feet larger than the 17,766-square-foot center. It also costs more per square foot. The smaller center cost $151.68 per square foot, while the larger center cost $154.59 per square foot.

Black said the cost per square foot on the two-story center is higher because of the need for fire stairs and elevators.

+++

Galveston College facilities development goals

1. Remodel the Cheney Student Center and expand it to support student life.

2. Establish a one-stop shop in the Moody Building providing easy access to admissions, registration, counseling and advising, financial aid and the business office.

3. Develop facilities for new and expanded vocational-technical programs.

4. Provide adequate well-lighted parking lots.

5. Provide a safe and secure campus.

6. Explore expanding student housing.

7. Expand, renew, adapt and remodel other campus facilities as appropriate.

8. Explore and improve the energy efficiency of the campus.