New RCC campus to hold classes beginning next week

ROCKINGHAM — After six years of planning and construction, Richmond Community College’s new downtown campus, officially known as the Kenneth and Claudia Robinette Building — which will house the Leon Levine School of Business and Information Technology — will open its doors to students next Thursday.

The 44,000 square-foot facility has 19 classrooms and labs for students. It can hold up to 500 students, although it won’t be at full capacity until COVID restrictions lift. Casual seating and computers are available for students throughout the three stories. It’s situated in downtown Rockingham, in the footprint of the R.W. Goodman Building across from the old courthouse, and is surrounded by local businesses and shops that are within walking distance for students and staff.

A Certificate of Occupancy was issued by the City of Rockingham on Jan. 11.

The total cost of the construction was $14 million. All of the equipment and furniture is brand new. According to Dr. Dale McInnis, president of RCC, a modern, corporate design of the interior simulates the current work environment.

“We wanted to give it its own identity,” McInnis said. “Working with the city, our funding partners, and the designers, we wanted to make sure that it matched up to the jobs and employers.”

Some of the classroom seating is set up in a traditional, lecture arrangement. Other classrooms feature an active, classroom style where the tables are set up in pods. The average classroom size is 24-30 students.

There will be around 15 full-time faculty working in the building, plus part-time employees.

Each room features a 75-inch monitor which professors can use to share work and assignments from their desk.

While no new classes are being offered, the facility allows for RCC to expand their current curriculum. One split room allows for a small meeting space or workshop room that can be rented out by anybody in the community. This takes some pressure off of the Cole Auditorium at RCC’s main campus in Hamlet.

Students were originally supposed to begin the spring semester on the Jan. 8, but it was postponed due to an anticipated rise in post-holiday COVID-19 cases. The start of the semester will now be the Jan. 28.

COVID-19 policies at this building will be the same as RCC’s main campus. Masks and social distancing are required. McInnis credits the faculty and students, as well as a great relationship with Health Director Tommy Jarrell, for not having a single outbreak or cluster of positive tests.

RCC was down 12% enrollment last semester, but they expect that number to be slightly smaller for the upcoming semester. They currently have over 2,000 students registered. While the college has seen less enrollment in their degree programs, there has been an increase in short-term classes which aim to teach specific skills needed to make students job-ready.

”The building is going to prove to be what we thought it was going to be when we started out,” City Manager Monty Crump said. “It’s very gratifying to see it all come together and I’m looking forward to the long term impacts of the downtown community college campus.”

The new campus will allow the college to have a dedicated lab for its pharmacy technician program. It’s expected to have a mock lab which will allow students to train in a simulated work environment which will be available by the fall semester.

RCC has increased their online learning opportunities by 30% since the pandemic hit, but they still recognize that many students need face-to-face learning time as well. McInnis believes that online learning isn’t conducive to every individual’s lifestyle or learning preference. After talking to students individually and seeking feedback through surveys, the college’s leadership knew that in-person instruction was necessary for their students’ success.

“We do have online options when that’s possible,” said Keith Parsons, vice president of RCC. “It’s very hard to do welding online.”

McInnis said that high school students will benefit from the new building by being exposed to a different setting that is convenient and accessible to many local stores.

“It’s very rare to see a city, a county, private foundations and the state come together to make something this powerful and strong,” McInnis said. “There’s a lot to be said for cooperation and collaboration.”