FROM ELGIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE:
ELGIN – Elgin Community College will celebrate the grand opening of the new Health and Life Sciences Building on Thursday, March 15. The event will be held at 4 p.m. at the building, located at Gail Shadwell and Hoffer drives at the college, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Guests should park in lots 5 and 6.
Pre-ceremony guided tours of the 130,000-square-foot Health and Life Sciences Building will be available to guests from 2 to 3:30 p.m. A brief ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. by ECC President David Sam, PhD, JD, and members of the Community College District 509 Board of Trustees.
The building has 29 new classrooms, laboratories, and teaching spaces that simulate the environments in which future graduates will work. The building, which is home to all of the college’s health-related programs — biology, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, environmental biology, massage therapy, dental assisting, radiography, clinical lab technology, emergency medical technician-paramedic, health and wellness management, histotechnology, nursing, physical therapist assistant, surgical technology, and phlebotomy — was completed six months ahead of schedule and opened to students in January.
“The new Health and Life Sciences building will provide students with state-of-the-art equipment to practice procedures and build their confidence before they begin their clinical training at one of our affiliate sites, says Wendy Miller, EdD, dean of health professions. “The classrooms are spacious, complete with comfortable seating, academically friendly lighting, and wonderful views of campus. We’ve taken learning in health professions to a whole new level in this building.”
Because of the additional space provided by the facility, the college is already developing three new advanced certificates in diagnostic imaging, one new certificate in spa therapy, and one new certificate in sterile processing. Miller says she excited to have all of the health professions programs in one area.
“The Health Professions division is moving to a more interdisciplinary approach where health care students from different disciplines will learn to work with each other as a team. Having all of the health professions programs in one building now makes that initiative much easier to accomplish,” Miller adds.
The building also serves as the college’s main entrance and welcome center, complete with a three-story glass-enclosed lobby.
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