Grading and other early-phase construction activities are underway for the future Student Services Building at MiraCosta College.
The facility will consolidate student services functions scattered throughout the campus in a single office comprising more than 39,000 square feet.
The building will also provide a new home for MiraCosta’s Veterans Center, providing military veterans with academic counseling, career services, a food pantry, free tutoring, assistance with processing paperwork, getting coursework certified for GI Bill benefits and other services.
The veterans center will also benefit from $1.5 million in state funding awarded to help equip and furnish a lounge and resource area in the center, among other enhancements.
“We are very excited about what this new facility will mean for improving students’ experiences on campus,” said Alketa Wojcik, vice president of student services. “This will be a gateway building for us, greeting visitors and students as soon as they enter the campus and meeting student needs from application all the way to graduation, transfer and careers.”
“It’s designed to feel welcoming and inclusive to represent our students and our community,” Wojcik added. “The layout is very intuitive, with our key student services departments visible and easily accessible as soon as you step inside. No longer will students have to go from one building to another to get the services they need.”
The $62.1 million facility will include an exterior staircase and adjacent elevator to lead visitors from the plaza through a covered promenade and into the building. Operable glass walls are intended to enhance the ability to integrate outdoor gardens and gathering areas with indoor spaces and native species and drought-tolerant plantings, along with high-efficiency fixtures used throughout the exterior and interior are some of the other features of the design.
The building portion of the design is in review with the Division of the State Architect, and MiraCosta officials expect approval this fall.
City News Service contributed to this article.