Monroe County Community College breaks ground on new health and safety building

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MONROE, Mich (FOX 2) - Monroe County Community College broke ground recently on a $22 to $25 million transformation of the college’s Welch Health Education Building into what is tentatively being called the Welch Center for Health and Public Safety to reflect the growing scope of the facility as a result of the planned renovation and expansion.

The event took place in front of the Welch Health Education Building, named for MCCC’s second president, Gerald Welch. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II was on hand to assist in the ceremonial turning of the soil.

In July, $10.9 million was approved in the State of Michigan’s budget and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the state’s portion of the cost of the renovation and expansion of the facility.

"This project will add critically needed classroom and laboratory spaces for MCCC’s Registered Nursing, Practical Nursing, Emergency Medical Technician, Phlebotomy and Respiratory Therapy programs, as well as classroom and laboratory space to allow for the creation of new programs and the forging of new partnerships with area healthcare providers," said Aaron Mason, chair the MCCC Board of Trustees. "State-of-the-art simulation labs will be added. The college’s Criminal Justice program will also be relocated into the building, with dedicated space to expand public safety programming."

Planning and substantial effort to bring the project to fruition has been ongoing for nearly four years, and gained significant momentum in fall 2023 when MCCC officials hosted a roundtable discussion with state legislators and regional leaders in healthcare and law enforcement to present concrete plans on the facility’s proposed renovation and expansion for which the college was seeking funding support from the state of Michigan.

For projects approved through the state’s capital outlay process, colleges and universities must dedicate a cost-share to receive the funding. Community colleges must provide at least 50 percent of the approved project costs, while universities have a lower threshold of 30 percent up to a maximum of $30 million. Community colleges are required to contribute a higher match rate due to their ability to levy local tax millages.

Area healthcare and law enforcement representatives who participated at the fall 2023 roundtable included Alicia Wafer, director of critical care support services, Henry Ford Hospital; Nicholas Prush, Respiratory Therapy program director, University of Michigan – Flint; Lt. Stephen Borello, post commander, Michigan State Police - Monroe Post; Kelley McMillan, interim assistant chief nursing officer, Corewell Health East; Allie Meyer, director of regional government relations, ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital; Bob Van Klingeren, Bedford Township fire chief; Beyonka Swain-Mills, senior executive director for professional development, Michigan State Police; Kevin Pooley, retired Sylvania, Ohio police officer and criminal justice instructor at MCCC; Ken Laird, Monroe County Firefighters Association; Frank Nagle, director of community impact, ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital; First Lt. Brian Buege, commander, recruiting and selection, Michigan State Police, and Ken Piaga, recruiting manager, Michigan State Police.

Four legislators participated in the roundtable, including Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), Rep. Will Bruck (R-Erie), Rep. Reggie Miller (D-Belleville) and Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown Township).

"The Welch Center for Health and Public Safety has been shovel-ready project for some time," said Dr. Joshua Myers, executive director of The Foundation at MCCC and director of government and alumni relations, adding that MCCC already has the funding to cover the college’s required match via college funds, a federal ADN-to-BSN Completion Grant Program grant of $2 million and two Congressionally Directed Spending requests secured by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023.

"I applaud the collaborative approach taken between state and federal partners to support Monroe County Community College’s Welch Center for Health and Public Safety renovation project," U.S. Sen. Peters said. "I was proud to secure more than $1 million to outfit this new space with innovative, real-world training equipment that will help students prepare for in-demand nursing and criminal justice careers."

MCCC currently has only a 4-bed nursing skills lab that meets the needs of three programs serving more than 160 students, Myers said. The Respiratory Therapy program serves up to 60 students annually using just a 3-bed station. Due to space issues, the Practical Nursing program is housed in another building and delivers its entire curriculum in a combined classroom and lab with only three stations. The renovation will add three new fully operational nursing labs with a total of 18 beds and two respiratory labs with six beds and would also allow for the relocation and expansion of MCCC’s growing criminal justice program, Myers said.

Following a comprehensive assessment of the college’s academic offerings to ensure MCCC’s programming continues to specifically meet the needs of regional employers and students, MCCC introduced 10 new academic programs for Fall Semester 2024. Among those were one new health/public safety program, Emergency Medical Technician, and three new associate degree programs in health areas: Health Sciences, Health Sciences-Psychology Track and Health Sciences-Sociology Track. Another health program – Radiology Technician – is in the works via a consortium with a projected fall 2025 launch.

"Training our healthcare and public safety workforce is critical for the health and safety of our communities," said MCCC President Dr. Kojo A. Quartey. "This project will ensure that we meet these needs and also serve as an economic catalyst through high-paying construction jobs."

Construction on the project is expected to begin in Summer 2025 with projected completion in Summer 2027, said Jack Burns, director of campus planning and facilities.

"Gov. Whitmer and I are committed to helping more Michiganders achieve their dreams of a higher education," Gilchrist said. "I am proud to join Monroe County Community College at the groundbreaking for the new Welch Center for Health and Public Safety. Our recent budget invested over $10 million in this new project that will expand classroom and lab space and help more students get the skills they need for in-demand careers. We must keep working together to lower barriers to opportunity for more Michiganders and build a bright future for communities across our state."