DMACC administrators and Carroll community leaders hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on the Carroll Campus Tuesday to dedicate and celebrate a new $4.2 million expansion that started this week.
“This campus expansion offers an exciting opportunity to bring needed training programs and state-of-the-art facilities together under one roof,” said Provost of the DMACC Carroll Campus Provost Joel Lundstrom. “We have outgrown our space to teach some career and technical programs and as we were planning for this expansion, we identified additional needs for the building addition. We’re thrilled to start this exciting project.”
The 11,700-square-foot expansion will be located on the northeast side of the building and will include:
- Welding Lab
- Applied Engineering Classes and Lab
- New office space for student services
- Additional study space
- An indoor Commons Area for both college and community events
Lundstrom said the new expansion will help the college recruit new students and improve their academic experience.
“By offering a better learning environment along with options for a bachelor’s degree from our university partners, we’re in a very strong position to serve our students and the community for many years to come,” said Lundstrom.
Lundstrom cited the Carroll campus’s 2+2 agreements with the University of Northern Iowa, Buena Vista University and the University of Iowa’s Bachelor of Nursing Program as examples where students can earn their bachelor’s degree without leaving home.
“The DMACC Carroll Campus is a very important part of the DMACC community,” said DMACC President Rob Denson. “Our vision has been to provide outstanding academic opportunities for students throughout this region and to respond to the needs of businesses by providing a well-trained and educated workforce. This expansion will help us further improve our vital mission here.”
Denson said one of the great strengths of the Carroll Campus has been its leadership. “Retired Provost and current DMACC Board member Jim Knott, Carroll Campus Provost Joel Lundstrom, Naomi Neu and her late husband, Art, and the many other Carroll residents have been instrumental in creating the DMACC Carroll Campus and responsible for its ongoing success,” Denson said. “This leadership team has done an outstanding job growing enrollment and responding to the needs of students and the overall region. As a result, there has always been tremendous area support for the Carroll Campus.”
Enrollment at the DMACC Carroll Campus is up 20% over the past six years.
Badding Construction of Carroll was chosen as the general contractor, and Denson said he is “very pleased that Badding Construction will be working on our expansion. It’s symbolic of our overall support and commitment to the region’s business community.”
The Carroll campus expansion is also part of a larger vision across the district to improve the student experience at DMACC, Denson said. The college is also currently building a new Student Center and STEM Center on the Urban Campus and a new Automotive Technology Center and Criminal Justice Training House on the Ankeny Campus and a new Student Activities Center on the Boone Campus.
The Carroll construction project is expected to be completed in August 2021.
Don Ivis is the media liaison for DMACC.
