Access to college services is getting a little easier at McDowell Technical Community College this spring with the official opening of the college’s much-anticipated “One-Stop Center” in newly-renovated facilities in the Cedar Building. The new center will bring together all of the services that are considered essential to a student’s success in one place, under one roof. Representatives from Student Services, Financial Aid, Student Success, Student Outreach and Engagement and others will all be housed in this location for easy access and efficiency.

College officials and the MTCC Board of Trustees will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new facilities on Thursday, March 28th at 10:00 am on the second floor of the Cedar Building, also known as Building 11. Officials from the McDowell Chamber of Commerce, local government and the college’s Foundation Board will also be on hand for the event. Tours of the center will be offered following the official ribbon cutting and related remarks.

Students and members of the public are also welcome to attend the event.

“We are thrilled by the renovation work done by Beam Construction and Holland & Hamrick, official architects for the project,” said Ryan Garrison, MTCC Interim President and Senior Vice-President for Finance and Administration. “Most importantly, we are excited about the increase in efficiency for our students and potential students. Whether they need to apply for college entrance, register for classes, pay tuition for those classes, apply for financial aid, access academic support or get involved in student activities, everything is now in one place.

“The One-Stop Center is a giant leap forward in how we support our students!” he said. “For students unfamiliar with the campus or the location of our various departments, there will no longer be any confusion about where they need to go to access what they need. Now they will know where to go, and it’s only a step or two away.”

Funding for renovation and construction of the One-Stop Center in space previously occupied by the college’s Student Services and the Business Offices was funded by a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III: Strengthening Institutions Program. Furnishings for the center were purchased from funds provided by the W. Harold Smith Foundation, a local non-profit created with funds from the estate of the late Harold Smith, a local businessman who wanted to promote higher education among local youth.

In addition to funding the renovation project, that grant will also help the college raise up to $448,000 for the MTCC Foundation through the Title III Match Program. Currently, over $80,000 in funding has been secured for the first year of the three-year fundraising campaign, resulting in an increase of $160,000 to the McDowell Tech Endowment Fund, all earmarked for student scholarships.

In addition to tours of the new One-Stop Center on the 28th, tours will also be available for the recently renovated space on the first floor of the Cedar Building, directly underneath the One-Stop. Renovation of this space was completed last year in phase one of the construction project, also funded by the Title III grant. Staff of the McDowell Tech Business Office and McDowell Tech Foundation are now located in this space, along with employees in Human Resources and Institutional Effectiveness.

Grant funds also supported renovation of the Cedar Building Lobby and the newly-dubbed Trek Deck student activity space just outside the college library.

“Our One-Stop Center started with a dream and a vision several years ago,” said Valerie Dobson, Vice-President and Chief Academic Officer. “With this project, that dream has become a reality, and our vision of providing more robust and accessible services to our students will reap benefits for our citizens for generations to come.”

For more information about attending the McDowell Tech One-Stop Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening event, contact Madalyn Gaito, MTCC Director of Development, at 828-652-0630, or Michael Lavender, MTCC Director of Communications, at 828-652-0680.