It's official. The newest campus of St. Louis Community College will be named Wildwood.
Chancellor Henry Shannon announced the campus name at the districtwide commencement ceremony May 19.
"The board carefully considered public, employee and student input as well as factors such as the geographical location of the site, history of the area, and topography," said Dolores Gunn, M.D., president of the board of trustees. "We look forward to strengthening relationships and building partnerships that will further our role as a true college for the community."
At its May 18 meeting, the college's board of trustees reaffirmed the name of the new campus, which is scheduled to open for classes in fall 2007. The board in March was presented with the results of a series of surveys and public meetings seeking suggestions for a name for the new campus. The college received more than 5,000 responses to those surveys. The top two vote-getters were Wildwood and Westwood; several other names from the surveys were presented to the board for consideration.
"We are very proud and excited to be part of the creation of a permanent home in Wildwood," said Chancellor Henry Shannon. "It was a dream of our founding president, Joseph Cosand, to expand St. Louis Community College's reach and provide geographically accessible educational opportunities in West County. The new Wildwood campus represents our commitment to providing even more of our neighbors with the opportunity to expand their minds and, indeed, to change their lives."
Trustees also approved an operating budget of $3,015,274 for the Wildwood campus at its May 18 meeting. The figure includes the current budget of $1,496,700 for operation of the West County Education Center plus $1,518,574 additional funds. Located near the intersection of Highway 109 and Manchester Road, the new campus is expected to serve up to 2,500 students, or double the current enrollment at West County center.
SLCC-Wildwood will offer an associate degree programs in general transfer studies and business administration, plus the college's 42-credit block general education program. Introductory career and technical education courses currently offered at the West County Education Center, as well as developmental courses needed to attain degrees, also will be offered at SLCC-Wildwood.
The budget includes more than $2.5 million in salaries and benefits for full- and part-time faculty and staff, plus more than $510,000 for utilities and operating expenses. SLCC-Wildwood will be initially staffed by 26 full-time individuals, including five faculty positions. Basic student and academic support services will be offered.
For more information about SLCC-Wildwood, visit the college Web site, www.stlcc.edu. |
