BRUNSWICK

“A community college has to be an economic engine that supports the community it serves. It’s the way we should function.”

So says James Whitten, dean of Southern Maine Community College’s Midcoast Campus at Brunswick Landing. SMCC’s second campus — the college’s main campus is in South Portland while a number of satellite centers dot Cumberland County — opened on a portion of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in 2011, shortly after the base closed. Since then, it has worked to provide an affordable education to its students while injecting talented workers into the labor market.

“In the six years since the Midcoast Campus opened, enrollment has increased from fewer than 80 students to nearly 600, course offerings have grown many times over, and our physical plant has expanded to include a state-of-the-art learning commons/campus hub and residence hall,” SMCC President Ron Cantor said in a recent statement to The Times Record. “While the larger South Portland campus and the Midcoast Campus have their separate identities and cultures, they are both part of the same academic structure, with comprehensive support and an array of opportunities to develop skills for tomorrow’s economy.”

SMCC touts its “access to personalized services and a varied selection of in-demand programs and courses,” along with “state-of-the art classrooms and laboratories, a residence hall, dining facilities and more.”

And this semester, students can start taking the METRO Breez bus service to points south, such as to the South Portland campus for free with their student ID.

Cantor described the campus as “a close-knit community where everybody knows your name.”

“Yet, like the South Portland campus, it also offers a comprehensive full-college experience. With tech-infused learning space, a residence hall, a library, advising offices, a café, student clubs and the full support of faculty and staff, the campus is a robust community that offers convenience and flexibility to meet the needs of today’s students and employers,” Cantor wrote. “SMCC’s mission is to transform lives and communities through education and training. By expanding educational opportunities, our Midcoast Campus does exactly that.”

Humble beginnings

“We were one of the first people out here,” Whitten said, recalling the early days when much of the Navy base became Brunswick Landing. “We opened our doors in August 2011. We only had one building available to us at that time and we were only using a small portion of it.”

The first classroom was situated in Orion Hall, formerly Naval officers’ quarters.

“We quickly turned the old bar in that building to a multi-purpose classroom where all of our classes were being taught in,” Whitten said, “and we were beginning the composites program in what used to be the kitchen.”

At the time, 75 students were taking classes at the Midcoast Campus.

Today, enrollment is nearly 560, including 75 students who are living on campus in apartment-style dorms complete with kitchenettes and private bathrooms.

The Department of Defense has also conveyed to the college the campus’ academic classroom building with computer and adjutant faculty spaces. Also housed there is the Maine Fire Service Institute, a statewide firefighting training program.

The Maine Advanced Technology and Engineering Center opened as the third building conveyed to the college in 2012.

The opening of the latest building — the L.L. Bean Learning Commons — was delayed after Gov. Paul LePage froze bond money during a dispute with the state Legislature. It eventually opened in 2014. A number of donors — including L.L. Bean, Bath Iron Works and Bangor Savings Bank — contributed funds to that project.

In addition to tutoring space, library and offices, the Learning Commons also houses the Health Science Center, complete with a nursing center.

“That really exploded our ability to expand,” Whitten said.

Plans for a fifth building, formally used by the Navy for flight simulators and now being used for storage, are in development.

Partnerships and an economic driver

“MRRA’s done an exceptional job attracting companies here,” Whitten said, referring to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the agency converting the former base for civilian use. “We’re here to lend support whenever we can.”

A number of students from the Midcoast Campus have found employment with larger companies at Brunswick Landing, such as Wayfair and Mölnlycke. Composite students have also found work locally, such as at Owens Corning at the Brunswick Industrial Park on the west end of town.

“We train a lot of the workforce in the businesses of the surrounding area through our workforce development training,” Whitten said.

He also noted how the campus’ medical assistance program has provided Mid Coast Hospital with a local talent pool.

Looking toward the future, Whitten said the college will develop more ways to be “nimble and responsive” to the local economy, such as more national certification programs.

“In education, it’s really about sharing resources,” said Whitten, including with the University of Maine or SMCC’s South Portland campus. “Hopefully, this is catapulting them along a career path that gives (students) an opportunity to go higher than they thought they could before. If you get a two-year degree in composites or in business administration, or nursing, you can get a job here. … For companies looking to get interns — there’s students in their backyard.”

Whitten said he wants the community to know the college is a resource that it’s willing to share.

“Come visit. Come see what’s going on,” Whitten said. “All of Brunswick Landing is really exciting — there is so much happening out here.”

jswinconeck@timesrecord.com