Kansas City Kansas Community College is purchasing 12 acres on K-7 to build a new site in Leavenworth County, according to a spokesman.
The college simultaneously is working on a plan to build a new $62 million campus in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, with a hope of starting construction in the spring.
KCKCC is celebrating its centennial in 2023, and it also has been serving Leavenworth County for the past 35 years, according to a spokesman. The Leavenworth School District allowed KCKCC to use the former Leavenworth West Middle School to offer both academic and technical education programs to the Leavenworth region.
“The College Board of Trustees and the administration truly appreciate the support Leavenworth School District has provided the college and students attending classes at the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center,” Dr. Greg Mosier, KCKCC president, said in a news release.
The site, located in the southern 12 acres of the Lansing Towne Center, will hold an advanced educational facility, according to a college spokesman. It is parallel to K-7 and just north of Country Club Bank in Lansing.
Fall 2027 is the anticipated opening date for the site. Until the new site is constructed, programs and services will continue at the KCKCC Pioneer Career Center, the news release stated. KCKCC-PCC offers more than 30 academic classes for dual-enrolled high school students and adult students in general education, construction technology, culinary arts, electrical technology, health professions, HVAC, criminal justice and early childhood education.
Lansing Mayor Tony McNeill and the Lansing City Council approved the project on Nov. 17.
“Through the generosity of the Leavenworth School District and Dr. Mike Roth, the college has been able to increase its level of service through the Pioneer Career Center. The purchase of this land is the next step in expanding services to Leavenworth County,” Dr. Mosier said in the news release. “As new businesses continue to invest capital to build facilities in Leavenworth County, a primary concern is access to an educated and well-trained workforce. KCKCC is establishing its position in Leavenworth County to be these companies’ workforce provider of choice.”
With the land purchase, a new facility will be designed to provide modern classrooms, labs and technical training spaces that will offer greater capacity and new programs in Leavenworth County, according to a spokesman.
Kelly Rogge, public information manager for KCKCC, stated that no money from the Wyandotte County mill levy will be used for the purchase of the land or the new building in Lansing. KCKCC will work with Leavenworth County to create the necessary construction and ongoing revenue streams.
Enrollment at KCKCC is slightly up compared to last year, although most other institutions across the state and in Kansas City, Missouri, are down in enrollment, Rogge stated.