The Student Success Center is projected to reach completion by Oct. 13. The moving process for student services from the C Building will begin on Nov. 13, while the building will be open to the public in Spring 2024.
The B Building will cover 116,000 square feet and have 50 faculty offices and 25 new classrooms. It will also have a multipurpose room spanning 400 square feet and feature sliding doors that lead to a new courtyard.
Before its construction, the B Building was not going to be one building.
“Originally, this was going to be two buildings,” said Sharon Cook, senior director of administration. “Then it was determined that one would be most effective and meet our needs by combining into one, putting academic services on one side and student success on the other side while putting the multicultural area in the middle.”
After construction, all student services located in the C Building, such as the testing center, success coaching and admissions, will move into the B Building.
“At this point, nothing has been determined about the C Building,” Cook said. “They’ll be doing some feasibility studies of the building. I don’t see anything being done in the next year, if even that.”
The decision to move student services into one building has received positive reactions from faculty and staff members.
“I think it’s going to be a good move,” said Isabel Lopez, administrative assistant at student success. “It’s going to be helpful with our news signs and areas of where to go during our triaging. Having that triage area in the front as soon as you walk in is going to be helpful.”
Lopez believes that having student services put in one area will be beneficial.
“I had worked in many different departments,” she said. “It will be really nice to have everything in one building as far as registering, getting the advising and testing, instead of going to multiple buildings. That’s why all the departments are moving to the new building to have it kind of centralized as a one-stop shop.”
The Subway currently in the C Building will also move into the B Building with student services. Its move-in date is pending construction progress and completion, and when it will close for the move is to be determined.
Senior administrative assistant Joel Klump thinks the B Building will impact how success coaches work with students.
“I think that the new facility will provide us with better and newer resources to serve our students,” he said. “So, I think for the staff and employees, it’s going to create a better atmosphere to do our work. I’m confident that it’s going to be situated better for a modern campus and the way we currently operate versus the way we did in 1970 when this building first opened.”
Klump, who has worked at Eastfield for almost 20 years, sees an opportunity for younger employees to enhance their capabilities in the new building.
“I’ve been at the college a long time,” he said. “The change is probably a little more difficult for some of the newer people, but I’m accustomed to change here. I think it’s a great opportunity for all of us, including staff, to sort of renew themselves and kind of refresh their attitude about their work.”
