Cleveland State Community College received some exciting news on Monday evening during Governor Bill Haslam’s State of the State address when he unveiled his proposed 2018-2019 fiscal budget, and Cleveland State’s $25M capital project request was included in his budget. CSCC was the only Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) Community College recommended for Capital Outlay funding.
In order to gain access to state funds allocated for capital projects, the college must provide a 10 percent match which means CSCC will need to raise $2.5M to qualify for the full amount of $25M.
This money will go to fund a new Health & Sciences Building, as well as the renovation of the Mary T. Barker Humanities Building. Both projects will support the enhancement of current academic programs and the addition of new programs to meet employment need in our region, officials said.
In addition, the proposed capital maintenance funding for the State includes an additional $1.5M for Cleveland State, which the college will use to build a loop road around the rear of the campus in an effort to provide better access to all parts of the campus and expand parking.
“We greatly appreciate Governor’s recognition of our capital needs,” stated Dr. Bill Seymour, CSCC president. “These advances are the result of many people on our campus and the support of individuals in TBR, THEC and our local legislators.
According to Dr. Seymour, a great amount of planning precipitated this decision. The college recently completed its new master plan, which included an in-depth analysis of the campus and yielded a set of physical priorities that led to the capital outlay request.
“This action is more specifically a result of the work we all put into the Cleveland State 2020 Community First Plan—specifically Goal #2—which not only calls for a new classroom building, but a facilities renovation and renewal program to “provide state-of-the-art learning environments that promote student success.”