Grounds for celebration: Work on new SSCC Mt. Orab campus begins

Passersby will soon notice a transformation taking place as a barren tract of land is prepped for the two-story, 50,000-square-foot complex of Southern State Community College's newest campus.

Beginning mid-May, crews will start moving dirt on the 63-acre plot at the intersection of State Route 32 and Brooks-Malott Road in Mt. Orab. A formal groundbreaking ceremony is slated for June 28. Construction is expected to take at least 12 months and will be open to its first roster of students for Fall Semester 2014.

"We are eager to begin the construction phase for the new Southern State campus in Mt. Orab," said Paul Hall, SSCC Trustee representing Brown County.

"Beyond the contribution this campus will make toward recruiting high quality adjunct faculty, it will also allow us to broaden the scope of higher education in the five-county region. The new Mt. Orab campus will no doubt have a positive impact on the economic development of the region."

The new facility will include a community room and public spaces, a learning commons and resource center, general multipurpose classrooms, science labs, nursing labs, HVAC technology labs, a bookstore, and administration and faculty spaces.

With the addition of Southern State's newest campus comes new academic programming as well.

"An evening program in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) will be new to Southern State's degree lineup," said Dr. Ryan McCall, SSCC Vice President of Academic Affairs. "We will also see the addition of a program in Computer Forensics & Security and Evidence-Based Management, as well as a brand new nursing lab with simulation space."

Programming that is currently offered on South Campus in Fincastle will be continued on the Mt. Orab Campus, including the college's Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) courses.

Furthermore, the course schedule is being reworked to allow for more accessibility with evening classes.

"We still have one more year in our South Campus. Classes will continue through the 2013-14 academic year," said Dr. Kevin Boys, SSCC President. "I'm certain the college's Board of Trustees will be discussing options for that campus in the near future. A representative from the Attorney General's office is coming in to talk to the board about their options."

The expansion project has been several years in the making.

In 2011, the college's Board of Trustees moved forward on plans to expand Southern State's service region by approving a contract to purchase the Mt. Orab tract.

In searching for a replacement site for Southern State's current South Campus located near Fincastle, a market analysis identified Mt. Orab-specifically the State Route 32/Appalachian Highway area-as the prime location based on population centers and accessibility.

"More than 44,000 people live in Brown County. Proximity to even larger concentrations of people is possible because of the Appalachian Highway," said Dr. Boys. "This, coupled with the projection of some lofty renovations to the existing facility, warranted a new approach to the college's framework for accessibility."

Proposals were received from 35 architectural firms and ultimately BHDP Architects, headquartered in Cincinnati and Columbus, was selected to take the helm for the design phase. For the construction phase, The Quandel Group was chosen as the construction management firm for the project.

Throughout the process, Southern State has worked alongside Bruce Lunsford, mayor of Mt. Orab, and Jeff Stine, village engineer. Village representatives have been instrumental is getting utilities to the site and in securing traffic light approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Made possible by a recent legislative decision in construction reform, the SSCC Mt. Orab Campus project is one of the first public projects to use the Construction Manager at Risk project delivery method through the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC). The expansion project is coordinated through the OFCC, which oversees the design and construction of facilities for state agencies, boards, commissions and institutions of higher education.

Southern State currently has four campus locations in Hillsboro, Washington Court House, Wilmington and Fincastle, primarily serving students in Adams, Brown, Clinton, Highland and Fayette counties.

The college offers a host of academic programs, including certificates and associate degrees, continuing education, workforce development, and GED preparation, as well as partnership degrees which allow for advanced degree completion through other institutions at an SSCC campus.

For more information on progress at the Mt. Orab Campus site, please visit www.sscc.edu/newcampus/index.shtml.