Remodeled BBCC buildings dedicated

MOSES LAKE - The remodeled Student Success Center and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) center will be the focus of a grand opening at 1 p.m. May 3, starting at the student center, Building 1200.

Construction began in fall 2012 on both projects, with each building opened to students at the start of spring quarter in March, said Doug Sly, the college's public information officer.

The STEM Center's 10,700-square-foot remodel cost $800,000 and added math labs, a tutoring center, a digital lab, CAD (computer assisted drawing) lab and space for instruction, Sly said. The 1,500-square-foot, $400,000 addition at the Student Success Center added space for supplemental instruction, group study, mentoring, service learning projects and college transfer activities, he said.

Both projects were paid for with federal grants that the district received because of its designation as a Hispanic-serving institution, Sly said. That means more than 25 percent of students enrolled in college-level classes are of Hispanic descent.

College enrollment is about 35 percent Hispanic, Sly said.

Terry Kinzel, grant coordinator for the college's Title V program, said about 80 percent of BBCC students are the first in their families to attend college. Those students traditionally need more help coping with the nuts and bolts of higher education, he said.

"First generation students have a more difficult time navigating college because they can't ask their parents," Kinzel said. "These types of services are helping with access, retention and transfer."

College President Terry Leas said the federal money helps plug some of the gaps left by state budget cuts.

The student population has helped the college acquire about $7.9 million in federal grants, Sly said, both for Title V programs and the STEM grants. The college applied for it because managers at local industries said they needed STEM-trained employees, he said.