by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
When students, staff and faculty return to the Kansas City Kansas Community College campus in a few days, they will notice some big changes.
One of the biggest changes is to the KCKCC library, which is now the Learning Commons. Reimagined to provide collaborative space for students and faculty, Susan Lindahl, chief financial and operating officer at KCKCC, said the Learning Commons will provide a vibrant learning environment for students to get academic help, meet with study groups and any other assistance they might need to succeed in their classes.
Renovations include new carpet, paint, reconfigured office space and a coffee bar that will be open throughout the day. All of the library functions will move to the second floor including the circulation desk.
In addition, TRiO Student Support Services will be located on the second floor in the area that formerly housed Online Education. Online Education can now be found in Room 2152 of the Humanities Building. TriO offers free services such as advising, tutoring and career counseling to help students be academically successful. A high-tech tutoring room will be included in the TriO area to be used by students for studying and collaboration purposes.
The Academic Resource Center will also offer tutoring services in the Learning Commons. The idea is for it to become a “one-stop shop” to meet all of the academic needs of students, according to KCKCC officials.
Plans for the Learning Commons renovations also call for a new circulation system for the library. This will allow students to renew books and pay fines on their own without having to go through multiple steps with library staff. The system will be mobile friendly and will eliminate past issues faculty and students have had with video streaming, according to a spokesman.
The Learning Commons is also the home to the new Center for Teaching Excellence, an area that will be the hub for collaboration and assessment development on campus. The center’s mission is to “foster academic discourse specific to the craft of teaching while leveraging technology, academic assessment and professional development to enhance pedagogy and student learning.”
“There are three areas of focus (at the Center for Teaching Excellence) – Instructional Design and Pedagogical Training; Academic Assessment and Academic Discourse and Professional Learning,” said Jelena Ozegovic, faculty senate president and assistant professor of psychology at KCKCC. “’The Center’ was my innovation proposal that came about after I had seen a ‘TED Talk’ by Richard Culatta.”
Ozegovic said that while watching the TED Talk, a quote by Culatta, former director of the Office of Education Technology, resonated with her– “There is a more serious digital divide that we face in this country, and that is the divide between those who know how to use technology to reimagine learning and those who simply use technology to digitize traditional learning practices.” That quote, she said, was the catalyst for what will now be a place for faculty and staff members to work together for the benefit of students.
In addition to the renovations of the Learning Commons, the parking lots of the Community Education Building, Fieldhouse and Main Campus have been resurfaced and a new sewer line was installed in lower CEB, a spokesman said.
This led to painting the lower level halls the new school hallway color and the installation of new carpet. Buildings and Grounds also remodeled 23 restroom facilities on campus to be fully ADA compliant, renovated the former Scooters Coffee Shop to be fully integrated into the Blue Devil Deli and installed a new powered entrance gate at Campus Boulevard and Quindaro.
At the Pioneer Career Center in Leavenworth, a wall was removed to expand Classroom 131 and new prep sinks were installed in preparation for an expanded Culinary Arts Program. The Fire Science Program was also moved to their new location at 6840 State Ave.
Students, staff and community members can see three big changes as they enter campus from State Avenue. The former “Conference Center” is getting a facelift and a new name. Lindahl said the idea of renaming the building came from proposals to the President’s Innovation Fund. In addition, a new sidewalk has been installed along Campus Boulevard extending from State Avenue north to Delaware Drive not only benefiting early morning walkers on campus but Blue Devil fans attending softball games as well.
Under construction for most of last season, the KCKCC Softball Field has been completely transformed into a state-of-the-art softball complex.
Construction began in fall 2015 and includes the installation of artificial turf in both the infield and outfield. KCKCC is the first member of the Jayhawk Conference to have this type of all-weather field. The turf will allow the softball team to reduce game cancellations due to weather, specifically rain. The greatest number of cancellations in the past have been due to the condition of the field, not the weather at game time, according to the spokesman.
Another major change will be the field’s orientation, the spokesman said. Home plate will now be facing southeast, adjacent to the concession stand. The change helps members of the softball team who will now not have to look directly into the sun as well as fans who will have better access to the concessions and restroom facilities. New dug outs have been constructed by the KCKCC Buildings and Grounds Division in conjunction with the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Center, and there will be a new batting cage and warm-up area. A grand opening celebration for the field and a KCKCC Softball Alumni Game is planned for Oct. 22
“The softball field project represents KCKCC synergy at its best,” Lindahl said. “Outsourcing with great partners and insourcing to save funds by utilizing TEC classes and our facility crews.”
But the work to the library and softball fields are not the only changes students will see upon returning to campus. Lindahl said simultaneously, KCKCC has been reimagining the student intake space to more “fully represent our entrepreneurial approach as we recruit, enroll and retain KCKCC students.”
“A new ‘front door’ and welcoming space with functional flow will be apparent this fall,” Lindahl said. “Dean (Delfina) Wilson and Associate Dean (Stephen) Terry will provide leadership for this multi-phase project.”
Lindahl said the changes are far reaching and will affect anyone coming onto campus.
“Hang onto your Blue Devil hat, your thinking hat and your construction hat,” she said. “To quote President Dr. Doris Givens, we are the most progressive, forward thinking, forward moving college in Kansas and beyond.”
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.
