Velocity - Magazine - Page 22
SCC BUILDS NEBRASKA’S WORKFORCE
by Jennifer Snyder
Southeast Community College broke
All three facilities are scheduled to
ground on three major facilities this
open in the Fall 2028 semester. The new
spring on its Beatrice, Lincoln, and
facilities include:
Milford campuses. These facilities
reflect SCC’s commitment to preparing
Nebraska’s workforce demand while
keeping up with extraordinary
enrollment growth. In two years, SCC
added nearly 1,800 students, a growth
that demands investment and these
facilities are the answer.
“Over the past decade, SCC has
been on a transformational journey
to expand its capacity to produce
a skilled workforce and to ensure
everyone has access to higher
education in southeast Nebraska,”
said Dr. Paul Illich, SCC president.
“What happens inside a community
college classroom, laboratory,
simulation space, or clinic has the
power to transform a person’s future.”
Groundbreaking ceremonies were
held on the Beatrice Campus for the
Ag Technology Center, on the Lincoln
Campus for the Life Sciences Center,
and on the Milford Campus for the
Construction Technology Center. These
Ag Technology Center
Beatrice Campus
Agriculture is the backbone of
Nebraska’s economy, accounting for one
in four jobs statewide. But today’s farms,
feedlots, and ag operations run on
precision technology and employers are
struggling to find workers who know
how to use it.
SCC’s 20,000-square-foot Ag
Technology Center is designed to close
that gap. The state-of-the-art facility will
house all of SCC’s agricultural programs
are experiencing record enrollment.
The Construction Technology Center
will give students the industry-grade
environment they need to train like the
professionals they’re becoming.
The 52,000-square-foot facility will
feature dedicated concrete labs, multiple
house build sites, and a three-story
“playhouse” designed to simulate realworld HVAC and plumbing scenarios.
“We are not just breaking ground,”
said Illich. “We are building something
that will serve our communities for
labs, advanced simulation systems, and
generations, ensuring everyone has
flexible lab environments built for year-
access to the life-changing benefits of
round, real-world instruction. With 75%
higher education.”
of SCC ag graduates staying in Nebraska,
the impact of this investment will be felt
across the state for generations.
Life Sciences Center
Lincoln Campus
Enrollment in health sciences and
what Nebraska employers are asking
reached an all-time high, and the Life
for, which is proof that a community
Sciences Center will give those students
college can deliver an educational
the space and resources they need
experience that goes far beyond what
to succeed.
The 45,000-square-foot, three-story
facility will bring biology, anatomy,
graduates stay and work in Nebraska,”
physiology, organismal biology, BSL
Illich said. “That means when we invest
biology, and microbiology programs
in our campuses with new buildings,
together under one roof for the first
we are investing in Nebraska. We are
time. The center will be a landmark
investing in every community these
destination for students entering
students will call home and in every
Nebraska’s health care workforce.
employer who hires them.”
across Nebraska and all three programs
drone technology, precision agriculture
physical sciences transfer programs has
“Eighty-seven percent of SCC
Construction, HVAC, and plumbing
professionals are in high demand
and give students hands-on access to
facilities are a direct response to
anyone might expect.
Construction Technology Center
Milford Campus
These new buildings are about
redefining the community college
experience by giving our students
state-of-the-art educational spaces
that mirror the careers waiting for
them. Every student will be able
to define their career journey while
simultaneously helping Nebraska
employers secure a skilled workforce.
The results will benefit southeast
Nebraska and beyond.
The SCC
Educational
Foundation
invites you
to be a part
of this moment.
Contact the Foundation to explore how
your support can transform lives and
strengthen our community’s workforce.
402-323-3411
foundation@southeast.edu
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SCC Velocity
