Mitchell Community College's new Student Services building is officially open for business.
A dedication ceremony was held Monday afternoon at the front entrance of the building on the corner of Mulberry and Walnut streets.
MCC Board of Trustees members and other college supporters cut the ribbon signifying the official opening of the new two-story, 20,000-square-foot building.
The new facility will help MCC officials deal with the surge in enrollment.
According to Student Services Vice President Dan Manning, enrollment is up by 23 percent over last fall and 40 percent from two years ago.
"We need to be able to serve an increasing number of students in a way that's conducive to serving them well," he said.
The building will house services that were once available in the main administrative building. Those services include financial aid, a tutoring center, admissions and records, veterans affairs, advising and counseling centers, a testing lab, two classrooms, and staff offices.
The $3.9 million project was funded by the 2005 education bond referendum.
The new Student Services building will allow for the addition of six classrooms in the main building.
As visitors checked out the rooms and strolled from floor to floor during the dedication ceremony, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Mitchell employees Sharon Ellis and Tara Cashion were impressed with what they saw.
"It's wonderful," Ellis said. "It will be fantastic for students."
"It's a beautiful and functional building," Cashion added. "It gives employees privacy to speak with students."
MCC President Douglas Eason said the building will be an asset as the college works to outperform others in completion, retention, and graduation rates.
"We want the students to be embraced with the services a student would need to be successful," he said.
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