- September 7, 2024
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This time next year, students heading back to classes at Daytona State College will have a number of new resources on their campus, including a student lounge, café and 90-seat lecture hall.
The college’s trustees on Tuesday approved the construction of a two-story building on the college’s Flagler/Palm Coast campus, with an expected project completion of July 2014. It should be ready for student use with the start of the fall 2014 semester.
How it was funded
The 24,000-square-foot building is funded by a $7.6 million grant from the state. Those funds covered the costs of the design process, and will pay for the $6.2 million of construction costs as well. Furnishing the building will cost an estimated $750,000, for which the college is currently raising funds.
How it will be used
Yet-to-be-named, the building will host a student lounge, bookstore and café — campus resources previously unavailable to students. It will also feature a conference room and tiered lecture hall. Its hallways will feature enclaves with seating and electrical outlets for students to use between classes.
Designs for the building allow for a seamless integration of technology into its 13 new classrooms.
“Education is changing, and how we prepare ourselves for the future of education has to change as well,” said Kent Ryan, dean of the Flagler/Palm Coast campus of Daytona State College.
The upstairs classrooms will be optimized for use with laptops and tablets, and will likely be used for information technology programs, Ryan said. Although no official decision has been made about how the new space will be used, the second floor will likely be used to expand IT programs.
Downstairs may then house part of an expanded nursing program. Currently, students who are pursuing degrees in nursing can complete the first year of their education in Flagler County, but then must travel about 30 miles to the college’s Daytona Beach campus to complete their degrees.
There has also been talk of potentially expanding the college’s marine biology program as well, Ryan said, but no final decision has been made. Along those lines, no decisions about new staff or faculty have been made, either.
How and when it will be built
The building will be constructed by HJ High Construction, an Orlando-based company that plans to hire about 16% of its workforce locally, Ryan said. It was designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture, an Orlando-based firm.
Right now, crews are working to clear the space on the college’s 100-acre campus that will house the building, along with additional parking and the first leg of a road that will one day encircle the campus when it is fully built out. The college’s master plan allows for an eventual six buildings.
“We’re very excited about this long-anticipated expansion of our Flagler/Palm Coast Campus,” said Daytona State President Carol W. Eaton. “It’s a critical facility that will add to the region’s economic dynamics while enhancing student learning.
“Our Oct. 10 groundbreaking will set the pace for completion of this ‘smart’ building with all the latest technology and learning-centered design,” she added.
Talks for this building started in 2011, when the state decided to allocate funding for the Flagler/Palm Coast campus expansion.
"This is an exciting time," Ryan said. “We’re the only college in Flagler County. For our citizens, we’re able to provide the type of college they need. For our business community, we’re hoping to provide employees with the training they need. And we’re trying to just be good community citizens.”
