The new Student Services Center will be up and running for the upcoming Spring 2015 semester.
The center, hailed as a “one-stop shop” by Los Medanos College President Bob Kratochvil, will house most of the student services under one roof and has a completion date of Dec 24.
With the exception of the Student Life Office and the Bookstore, departments such as the Welcome Center, the Office of Instruction, Counseling and DSP&S will be among the services provided in the central area.
The $16.7 million building is to be occupied by various offices beginning Dec. 15. The tentative schedule, available online at losmedanos.edu/studentservices, has 18 departments and offices moving in over a five-day period. Most offices will open the day after they are relocated.
The 38,100 square foot building is the result of bond Measure A, which allowed for money to become available for the construction.
LMC Vice President Kevin Horan spoke on the ongoing construction of the building saying, “We are very pleased to say that the project is on-time and on-budget.  In any construction project of this size and scope there are unexpected challenges that arise, however, the project team has done and continues to do an outstanding job working together to resolve the issues and keep the project moving forward.”
Space currently occupied, referred to as “swing space,” will have a couple of tentative uses. Some offices, like the LMC Foundation office will move into the space currently used by the Office of Instruction, which will tentatively be moving into the new building Dec. 16.
Other spaces, like the one that the Counseling Department is currently occupying, will eventually be converted into classrooms.
Senior Dean of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Kiran Kamath will vacate her space in the Library and move to College Complex Level 4 in the Core. Her vacated space will make room for a planned remodel in the hopes of housing the Professional Development Department, for which the funds are already allocated.
Kamath went on to say, “it’s nice that LMC can have some soft space for professional development for employees to gather and learn from each other.”
“I’m going back home, in a sense,” said Kamath, referring to her previous position as CTE dean when her office had been in CC4.
“It’s nice for the planning department to have a permanent home,” since the department had been “homeless” for a while, eventually settling down in the library for a year and a half, she said.
Kratochvil is also looking forward to the move of his office, saying, “We’re looking forward to the relocation of the President’s office to the Campus Complex.”
He hopes that the more central location for the various services can build a strong unified core for students, faculty and staff.
The new building is separated into two floors. Designated Student Services 3 and Student Services 4, the levels measure 14,418 and 16,222 square feet, respectively, with an additional 7,470 square feet split between the two levels.
SS3 will house the Assessment and Welcome centers, Admissions and Records and Financial Aid, among other departments and offices.
SS4 will be home to the President and Vice President’s offices, the Counseling Department, EOPS/CalWORKS and Transfer and Career Services, along with other rooms and offices.
For more information about the construction and development of the Student Services Building, visit the LMC Construction webpage at losmedanos.edu/construction