RCC holds ‘long overdue’ dedication ceremony for new campus

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond Community College finally got to officially introduce its new campus in downtown Rockingham to the community after the pandemic forced the college’s leadership to push it back.

Students have been attending classes in the Kenneth & Claudia Robinette Building since the fall of 2020. It houses the Leon Levine School of Business and Information Technology. The 44,000 square-foot facility has 19 classrooms and labs for students. It can hold up to 500 students.

“Too say it’s been a long time coming is kind of an understatement,” said Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President for Development at Richmond Community College. “But we’re here today in this beautiful structure.”

“We speak today on the economic impact this campus will have on downtown Rockingham, but the main story is about the students that will be educated here,” Rockingham Mayor Steve Morris. “They’ll have an opportunity to study at one of the finest state-of-the-art facilities in North Carolina.”

Rockingham officially approved plans for the new campus in June 2016. The ground-breaking ceremony was held in September of 2018. The overall cost of the construction was $14 million.

Richmond County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jeff Smart said this building was an example of city and county partnerships bearing fruit in Richmond County.

“In partnering with the college on this project, The Leon Levine Foundation wasn’t just committing to a building, we’re investing in the potential of inquiring minds making their mark in Rockingham and beyond,” said Tom Lawrence, Director of the Levine Foundation.

Funds for the building came from the Cole Foundation, Richmond Community Foundation, Leon Levine Foundation, RCC state bonds, the N.C. Department of Commerce, a Canon grant and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Projects of this magnitude do not happen in a vacuum,” said Sandy Ridley of the Cole Foundation. “Certainly, we’ve had some very good leadership in this community.”

“What we have here today is just an example of when people come together with one common goal in mind and put everything else aside of it,” said Frank Jenkins of the Community Foundation.

Kenneth Robinette thanked the RCC President Dr. Dale McInnis and the Board for their vision and leadership in making the campus a reality.

“They’ve always considered the students first, the faculty and what’s best for the college and this community,” Robinette said. “As long as they keep doing that, which I firmly know that they will, we’ll continue growing.”

He added that the building is beautiful, but what’s more important is the learning going on in the classroom.

“It’s the students that come first,” Robinette said. “There’s going to be life-changing experiences for them to come to Richmond Community College.”

Representative Ben Moss said the building looks like something out of Raleigh or Charlotte, and that it’s in the perfect location.

Individuals who were involved with the building, construction and development of the Robinette Building were recognized and received gifts from Shuler and McInnis toward the end of the ceremony.

“I think we can all see that it has paid off,” said McInnis. “It’s going to make a difference for years and decades to come. The key now is what we do moving forward. We have to populate this building and convince young people to come back to school. They have a future and it’s in Richmond County.”