Category: KCKCC

KCK Night Out Against Crime planned tonight

The KCK Night Out Against Crime is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, at the Dr. Thomas Burke Technical Education Center at Kansas City Kansas Community College, 6565 State Ave.

The free community event is sponsored by the Neighborhood Crime Prevention Patrol.

Food, kids’ activities, neighborhood group showcases, community organization booths and door prizes are planned.

The event is free and open to the public.

Partners in this event include the Livable Neighborhood Task Force, KCKCC, Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department and Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department.

Closing reception to be Friday for KCKCC art gallery exhibit

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Art Gallery is holding a closing reception for its current exhibition, “Eco-Justice,” later this week.

The reception is from 4 to 6 p.m. July 22 in the art gallery, which is on the lower level of the Jewell Building on the KCKCC Main Campus, 7250 State Ave. The event is free and open to the public.

“Eco-Justice” by Susan Ferguson, reflects on the mingling of nature, ecological justice and climate change. Ferguson, who has worked for more than 40 years in agriculture, journalism, writing, editing and teaching, developed the ideas for many of the fiber collages after seeing news footage and photographs of wildfires in both California and Oregon in 2019.

A self-educated artist, she was a Fellow in the 2020 cohort of the Artist INC program of the Mid-America Arts Alliance and has had her work exhibited throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area as well as St. Louis.

Ferguson’s pieces use a variety of different fibers including yarn, linen, cotton, felted wool and deconstructed fabric and utilizes techniques such as knitting, weaving, felting and other fabric manipulation.

Pieces in the exhibit include “Camp Fire,” “Cave Fire,” “Kincade Fire,” “Piute Fire,” “Tick Fire,” “Mallacoota Bushfire,” “Victoria Bushfire,” “August Complex Fire” and others.

  • Story from Kelly Rogge, KCKCC public relations manager

KCKCC’s new residence hall ready for fall semester

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC public relations manager

After months of planning and more than a year of construction, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s new student housing, Centennial Hall, is now a reality.

KCKCC celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony for Centennial Hall July 15. Among the speakers and dignitaries at the event were KCKCC President Greg Mosier, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner, KCKCC Board of Trustees Chair Evelyn Criswell and Craig Nelson, president and CEO of Conco Construction.

Prior to the ribbon cutting event, a new sculpture by Kansas City artist Rita Blitt was unveiled. KCKCC currently has 142 of Blitt’s paintings displayed at both the main campus and the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center.

“Ascension” was commissioned by KCKCC for Centennial Hall and was so named for the students who will ascend to new heights as they live and study at KCKCC, according to a spokesman.

The future of student housing was one of the primary goals for Dr. Mosier when he came to the college in 2018.

The 260-bed, four-story Centennial Hall is designed so students can live and learn on the same campus, according to a spokesman. Each floor is divided into wings with student and community spaces built in. Every student also has a private bedroom and shared living space. Other amenities include a group study hall, study spaces, multipurpose spaces, laundry facilities, a FEMA rated storm shelter, gaming room and an outdoor patio/grilling area.

“This facility is truly built to maximize our students’ experience and success and to let them know how much we care about them and their successes,” Dr. Mosier said. “As the name indicates, it’s the very beginning for KCKCC as we prepare for our 100th year, and it really sets the stage for what we will continue to do these next 100 years. This new facility really represents KCKCC’s continued pursuit of excellence in absolutely everything we do.”

KCKCC Board of Trustees Chair Evelyn Criswell said it is not only a great day for Kansas City Kansas Community College, but especially for the students as building a facility such as Centennial Hall has been a goal for many years.

“Many of us have attended KCKCC, many of us have been involved with KCKCC, and even more people have just in their hearts and souls wanted the best for KCKCC,” she said. “This is an important project. Thank you to everyone involved. It just wasn’t one person, it was all of us. Everyone matters and everyone showed up for KCKCC and KCKCC students.”

KCKCC will welcome students into the student housing facility later this summer, the spokesman stated. A limited number of rooms are available for the fall semester. Students interested in living in Centennial Hall may visit www.kckcc.edu/housing or call 913-288-7586.