Schooling will proceed at 1500 College Drive, however it is going to be Oakland College college students filling the halls as a substitute of Baker Faculty college students.
On Thursday, April 14, the Oakland College Board of Trustees permitted the acquisition of 18 acres of property two miles west of their predominant campus. That property accommodates a 141,245 square-foot constructing that had beforehand been utilized by Baker Faculty.
Whereas the principle college campus is inside each Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, this parcel of property simply two miles down the highway is positioned in each Auburn Hills and Pontiac. One good thing about the brand new location is an eventual pull of scholars from the county seat.
“I feel one of many potential alternatives is to proceed down the trail of diversifying our scholar inhabitants by attracting extra college students from Pontiac,” Board Vice Chairman Joe Jones famous.
The constructing accommodates 70 school rooms, workplace house and convention rooms.
“The acquisition of the 1500 College Drive constructing will furnish the house we have to proceed to develop profitable packages and facilitate the reorganization of non-student going through operations,” Govt Vice President for Tutorial Affairs and Provost Britt Rios-Ellis and Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration James Hargett wrote in a advice letter to the board. “Shifting a few of our non-student going through operations off the principle campus permits for growth of different companies into these vacated areas.”
The Grasp of Doctor Assistant Science Program and the College of Schooling and Human Providers will probably be among the many many packages that may occupy the brand new facility.
The College of Music will quickly maintain lessons there and native civics organizations will probably be tenants as properly.
“We have already got a scarcity of on campus because of the South Basis Corridor renovation, which was delayed,” stated Rios-Ellis. ”I see this as a win for our college students, a win for our college and a win for our neighborhood”
The advice to the board was to buy the property at a value of $8.1 million and approve preliminary prices on upkeep and renovation of the constructing, estimated at one other $8 million.
Throughout dialogue on the difficulty, Board Chairman Robert Schostak instructed going all-in and approving the price of buying the land, all future renovation prices and contingency funds totaling $25 million.
“I feel it’s an unimaginable alternative for our college, simply within the outset, to have such a facility arrange the way in which it’s, mainly in our yard at this type of pricing,” Schostak stated. “It’s not anyplace close to what it might value to construct a facility on our campus.”
The board unanimously permitted Schostak’s movement.
