Articles - Fall 2007 - return to index
Lane Community College - Building for the Future
In 1995 Lane County voters said "yes' to a bond measure for Lane Community College. Twelve years later, it's clear the dividends from the community's investment have exceeded expectations. The voter-approved $42.8 million dollar bond measure allowed the college to create quality learning environments essential to delivering cost-effective education to thousands of Lane County residents seeking to improve their lives.
"Thanks to the incredible community support given to us in 1995, Lane Community College was better able to educate and support its students and provide a more engaging, enriching educational experience," said Mary Spilde, president.
The bond project launched a much-needed expansion of Lane's main campus-the largest since the college was founded in 1964. Over210,000 square feet of new construction built new classrooms and brought services together more efficiently.
"By grouping all the essential services and resources available to students in one location, students not only save time when taking care of business, they are exposed to extracurricular and educational programs that were once dispersed around campus," said Tony McCown, former student body president and current member of Lane's Board of Education.
Lane's Florence Center invested bond dollars to accommodate a growing student body with changing needs. "The bond funded a new building with five additional classrooms for the Florence Center," said Bob Purscelley, director of the Florence Center. "Two of the rooms provided modern computer labs, giving the Florence area students comparable access afforded to others in the college district."
Funding challenges make it imperative to maintain well-functioning facilities equipped with new technologies to reach more students.
The 1995 bond measure expires in 2009, and Lane’s Board of Education is considering asking the community to whether to renew the bond. Funds would be used to renovate and replace aging buildings and to upgrade technologies. Continued funding would also enable the college to increase access to education through the popular but overcrowded Downtown Center. "Renewing the bond would permit Lane to seize opportunities for new partnerships with others committed to revitalizing Eugene'’s downtown as a center for art, culture and learning," said President Spilde.
