Journalism, 110 (CPCC Bond Interview with Melissa Vrana)

CPCC recently received $280 million in bond funding, said Melissa Vrana, associate dean of Art, Communication, Hospitality education, and performance facilities.

“This is the largest bond in the history of the college,” Vrana added.  The college will use the bond to increase campus size by 45 percent via construction and renovations over the next five to six years.

The construction committee allotted for a new Advanced Technologies center off Charlottetowne Avenue next to the current Levine building at Central Campus.  Tentative plans include eventual renovations to the Kratt and Terrell buildings while also creating a permanent location for a true college’s student union, Vrana said.

CPCC is currently at an all time high for student enrollment, making expansion and classroom renovations a high priority. “More students means more teachers, which means more cost,” Vrana added.

The majority of funding comes from the state. To help keep tuition costs down, the state allocates $3700 for each student who meets the Full Time Equivalency of 12 credit hours, Vrana said.

Cost efficiency is a priority for the college. Lights and computers alone cost $1 million annually, Vrana said.

Community colleges can incur higher running costs due to longer hours and being open all year unlike four year colleges, she explained.

  “We run lean and mean,” Vrana said.  Schedule planners condense classes into a single building to enable some buildings to close during lower traffic hours.  Learning tracks which require expensive specialty equipment are allocated to single campuses, with all related courses scheduled at the designated campus, Vrana added.

  The college gives back to the community with local projects such as painting blank walls in the city with images infused with poetry, an all recycled products art show and the yearly Sensoria festival, Vrana said.  

The horticulture department runs a self-sustaining garden which is also used by early childhood majors to work with special needs children. The culinary department plans to add a honey beekeeper facility to use rooftop space for in-house honey production, Vrana said.

The college also encourages students to invest in the community with outreach projects. Tony Zeiss, CPCC president, always asks of a new project: “Is it good for the student, is it good for the college, and is it good for the community? If you can say yes, then you can do it.”

-30-