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With the help of several hundred faculty and staff, students, and community members, Moraine Valley Community College dedicated three new buildings and held an open house on October 18.
Residents of the 26 Chicago southwest suburbs served by the college approved the $89 million bond referendum in March 2006. Projects include construction of the $21.2 million Dr. Vernon O. Crawley Science Hall, named for the current president; the $12.5 million Moraine Business and Conference Center; and the $17.6 million Student Union/Student Services Center. Renovation of two of the college’s original buildings, constructed in the early 1970s; technology upgrades; and construction of a southwest education center also are underway as part of the capital improvement project. The final phase of the renovation work on the Student Services Center is expected to be completed by spring 2010, and the new off-campus center is anticipated to open in fall 2010.
“I would like to thank our district voters who supported our referendum. We are truly grateful that you have invested in furthering the dreams of thousands of our students,” Dr. Crawley told the dedication audience. “I want to acknowledge our Board of Trustees, who championed this effort from the very beginning and remained committed to every aspect of the project. Our faculty and staff served on committees to help design the buildings and were flexible as they dealt with moving into new spaces and other challenges. And finally, our students have been very patient with the inconveniences that come along with any major construction project. Each of you should take pride in your contribution as you explore Moraine Valley’s awe-inspiring campus,” he said. Dr. Crawley also thanked the “many volunteers who generously gave of their time to make the event successful.”
Also speaking were Joseph Murphy, board chairman; Gerald Bennett, mayor of Palos Hills; and Meme Shublaq, president of the Student Government Association. “I am proud of the hard work that so many people put into this project, and I am honored to be here to help dedicate the new buildings,” Murphy said.
Then the crowd walked to the college’s new Gateway, a new outdoor venue for performances and other events, for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. State and local officials, architects, and construction management representatives joined past and current Board of Trustees members to cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the new buildings.
For news media inquiries, call Mark Horstmeyer, director of College and Community Relations, at (708) 974-5275, or e-mail: horstmeyer@morainevalley.edu.
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Local and state officials, architects, and construction management representatives joined former and current members of the Board of Trustees and Dr. Vernon O. Crawley, college president, to cut the ribbon officially opening three new buildings on Moraine Valley Community College’s main campus in Palos Hills. The buildings were funded by an $89 million bond referendum approved by residents of the college’s 26 Chicago southwest suburbs in March 2006.
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