BEATRICE – Following a multi-million-dollar bond issue that failed several years ago, Southeast Community College has forged ahead with campus improvements, using a combination of the school’s capital construction levy and fundraising. SCC President Dr. Paul Illich says the initial goal was to address the most pressing needs on each of the college’s three campuses.


"When we attempted a bond in 2016 and it didn't pass, we had a plan B, which was basically to construct one major project on each campus that would have the greatest impact...in terms of benefit to employers, communities and students."


College officials were meeting with representatives of the Higher Learning Commission on the Beatrice Campus Tuesday, where one of the goals is updating college facilities. So far, that’s meant construction of residence halls and dining facilities, an academic excellence center, a diesel tech center, student services center, health sciences facility and improved ag campus facilities. Illich says further projects are in the planning stages.


"One of the most important lessons we've learned through this process, is we do not want to be waiting on these projects. We needed to be moving forward as soon as possible. So, all of these projects that you see here on welding, the IT center and the ag center here (on the Beatrice campus), they're all in the design phase. In fact, we're starting the fundraising phase, so we're moving very quick on all of these projects."


Future projects include a new Beatrice Agriculture Career Center and Outdoor Lab, a Student Academic Support Renovation and Addition on the Lincoln Campus, a Construction Technologies addition and Nebraska Hall expansion for student services on the Milford Campus, a future Science and Technology addition and student housing on the Lincoln Campus.


New residence halls were completed in the past couple of years on the Beatrice and Milford Campuses, along with a student dining facility at Beatrice.


There are five areas recommended for progress by the Higher Learning Commission by 2023 at SCC. They include continuing to work on the Facilities Master Plan, the length of college programs, strategic planning for continuous improvement, student learning and co-curricular assessment and updating college policies and procedures.