Groundbreaking for Student Health Center Set for Giving Day

by Rachel Coleman

LIBERAL, Kan. — The Seward County Community College Foundation has scheduled its annual Giving Day for Tuesday, May 21 — and it added a little grit to the one-day fundraising event. This year’s goal to raise $50,000 in 24 hours focuses on the SCCC Student Health Center. A groundbreaking ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. at the site just north of the Student Living Center.

“We’ve designated the money for this important project, and it just makes sense to get shovels in the dirt on the same day,” said Sarah Thompson, SCCC Associate Director of Annual Giving and Alumni.

“With all the projects going on around campus, this one is especially meaningful to me,” said SCCC President Brad Bennett. “The Student Health Center is going to benefit our students in so many ways, and it will do so by repurposing a building that has been part of the campus for decades. I don’t like to see buildings sitting empty when they could be used to better our college.”

The “old” dorm building situated to the north of the Student Living Center will be renovated over the summer. This project will provide much-needed space for the college’s student health clinic, space for the college’s full-time mental health counselor, and a separate area with a full kitchen, movie viewing area, and study spaces.

Since the college added its Student Health Center to the roster of student services in August 2023, students have kept nurse practitioner Linsey Carter and licensed mental health counselor Bethann Volden busy. While temporary locations have served the purpose, the new location will provide better access and greater privacy to students.

In the east half of the building, a separate area will give students who live in the dorms access to a place where they can cook real meals, hang out with friends, and socialize without worrying about what time the building locks or whether they’re being too noisy.

“It’s something our students have needed for a long time, and it’s exciting to see it become reality,” said Bennett.

Thompson said she’s hoping to see a good turnout at the groundbreaking ceremony, and a steady stream of participants on the Foundation’s Giving Day webpage.

“People who want to give can do so online, or they can stop by our office, on the second floor of the Student Union, just above the bookstore,” she said. “Let’s break some records the same day we break ground!”

To give online, visit the SCCC Foundation’s GiveCampus page at https://qrco.de/bf2kuX