WELLS — At a time when many national universities and regional colleges are down-sizing staff and turning away applicants, York County Community College is investing $6.5 million into a new, 20,000-square-foot academic building that will include an auditorium lecture hall, a student commons area, and classrooms and laboratories that will better serve the college’s associate degree and workforce development programs.

Established in 1994, YCCC is one of seven community colleges in the Maine Community College System. This fall, it will celebrate its 20th anniversary.

“Enrollment in Maine’s community colleges has increased 83 percent in the past decade. We’re very optimistic about our growth here,” said Dr. Christopher Hall, the interim president of the college. “Southern Maine is still relatively under-serviced in higher education, and York County is one of the few growing regions of the state.

“Nationally, the number of students attending community colleges is 3 percent. Even when you consider Maine’s aging population and rural nature, there is potential for a 50 percent increase in new students, and we need to keep pace with demand.”

Hall took the job last August to fill the void left by the death of YCCC President Dr. Charles Lyons in 2012. He was tasked with alleviating some of the burden placed on Dr. Scott Knapp, president of Central Maine Community College, who had been overseeing both schools until a new leader could be found. After hitting the ground running last August, Hall immediately began to lay the groundwork for the implementation of the college’s five-year strategic plan.

On average, 2,200 students enroll in YCCC associate and transfer programs annually. Hall said YCCC’s goal is to attract another 2,400 students over a five-year period. Although the Wells campus is already over capacity by some 350 students, it does manage to educate an additional 2,500 individuals participating in continuing education, professional development and business re-training programs offered through a number of weekend and offsite courses. In addition, the college has begun expanding onto satellite campuses, such as the YCCC extension in Sanford, which offers a precision machining technology program.

YCCC was recently accredited to offer online degrees in liberal studies and criminal justice. Although only 12 percent of the current student body enters YCCC directly after high school, the college offers dual enrollment programs to six local high schools, allowing students to get ahead in college credits.

“All of this means that once the new building is completed in the 2015-16 school year, it will likely already be filled, and we’ll be needing another,” said Hall during a recent interview. “Before we can deliver on all of the aspects of our strategic plan, we need to address our current infrastructure.”

Hall and his executive staff described the new plans, created by Oak Point Associates of Biddeford. The architectural firm was recently awarded the design contract for the project ”“ which is expected to total $6.5 million. The college’s existing two-story building will not be touched, but a second structure with a lecture hall, classrooms and wired laboratories would be the start of a growing community college campus.

“Technology and computer labs are now standard method of delivery for teaching everything from traditional business courses to computer programming and graphic design. The breadth and depth of our general education in liberal arts goes beyond what exists at other state community colleges. We do see a higher concentration, nearly one-third, of our students going onto liberal arts degrees and management,” said Paula Gagnon, YCCC’s vice president and academic dean.

According to Gagnon, the average age of the college’s student population is around 28 years old, and more than one-third of YCCC students go on to complete four-year baccalaureate degree programs throughout New England.

“Students are attracted to our college because of its concentration in business degrees and management, and what they learn here makes them more appealing candidates at some of the top schools, like Cornell,” Gagnon said.

Another large segment of the student body is between the ages of 40 and 60 years old.

“Many of these students have been out in the workforce for a while. They come back to the college to better themselves or change careers. The lecture hall will help support a learning atmosphere for multiple student populations,” she said.

“Our mission statement has always been to provide academic, career and transfer programs, while serving to advance cultural, economic and workforce development in York County and the state of Maine. We can’t promote the cultural and economic aspects of our mission without the auditoriums and a more flexible space for gathering students,” Hall said.

The majority of the project ”“ $3.4 million ”“ will be covered by the state via a general education bond recently approved by voters to fund improvements to Maine’s seven community colleges. An additional $1.2 million will come from the college’s reserve fund. The remaining $1.9 million required for the project will be the responsibility of Bryan Matluk, the new director of development and executive director of the YCCC foundation, a separate nonprofit that raises funds and additional capital needed for the many financial needs that state assistance and tuition do not cover.

Since his arrival at the beginning of the year, Matluk has been busy planning for a capital campaign to raise the remaining funds. As director of the foundation, he is also managing grants, including a $100,000 gift from local aircraft parts manufacturer Pratt and Whitney.

According to Hall, the next step in the construction process is a wetlands study of vernal pools adjacent to the current campus parking lot. Vernal pools are home to amphibian and insect populations deemed important to Maine’s ecosystem.

“We are required to have a 250-foot setback. The issue is which end of the campus to build on, based on these pools. If there aren’t any issues with the vernal pools, then we’ll begin expanding our campus. Eventually, the parking lot would become a grand pedestrian mall ”“ 10 to 20 years out,” said Hall.

In terms of timing, Hall laid out a best-case scenario that could see request for proposals from contractors this summer. He hopes to break ground by late fall, before the first snow.

“I would hope that we could see a completed building by the end of 2015 and open officially in January 2016,” he said.

After a year of driving the strategic plan, managing environmental studies and building the team to raise the additional capital, Hall will leave his post at the end of the school year. He is handing over the reigns to Barbara Finkelstein, the current senior vice president of Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Mass.

“The ground work has been laid by the strategic plan. Now, the heavy lifting will continue with my successor,” Hall said. “Dr. Finkelstein will be the ideal person to lead the college in its long-term growth and evolution.”

— This article was published previously in Making It At Home on April 17. Tracey Collins can be contacted via the Journal Tribune at kristenm@journaltribune.com.