Schaffer: New Buildings Needed To Meet Enrollment, Employer Demands

Laramie County Community College President Joe Schaffer says a proposed new Student Center and a Flexible Technology Building are needed to meet increasing enrollment as well as the educational demands of local employers.

He says the proposed Student Center would serve as a ''front door to the campus" and will become "the heart of the institution". He says the center would serve as a ''one stop center" for a student body that has been steadily increasing in size over the past decade and is expected to continue growing for the foreseeable future.

Schaffer says the Technology Building is needed because local employers are asking for increased vocational training to instruct potential employees in a variety of skills. Schaffer says the college has run out of space to add new programs to meet those demands. The Technology Building would help address those needs, according to Schaffer.

LCCC is asking Laramie County voters to approve a $25 million bond issue in a special election on November 5th. College officials say that if the bond issue passes they are hoping to use state money to cover the balance of the $47 million cost of constructing the new buildings.