Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is in line to receive $16.8 million in state funding to help renovate and expand its Learning Resource Center.
MLive.com reports that the state legislature has approved supplemental funding for the renovation. The bill is awaiting Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature.
State funds will cover nearly half of the $33.6 million renovation. The 61,268-square-foot Learning Resource Center houses the college’s library, tutoring and academic support services, media services and the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Built in 1972, the Learning Resource Center needs to be renovated to meet the needs of today’s students, especially given the rise of online and hybrid learning in recent years, said Lisa Freiburger, the college's vice president for finance and administration.
School officials are looking to transform the building from a “very traditional library space” to a more dynamic learning space with enhanced technology and flexible study spaces to accommodate students taking classes online, Freiburger said.
The project also calls for a 16,100-square-foot addition that will house additional student services such as counseling, disability support, collaboration space and a testing center. Freiburger said college officials are hoping to make the building a “single stop space” for students in need of support services.
The college is hoping to begin construction on the project in 2025.
