The Sandhills Global Technology Center, located on SCC’s Lincoln campus at 8800 O St., was created as part of the college’s goal to expand opportunities for students to study technology-related fields and address Nebraska’s need for a growing technology workforce.
The center boasts 65,000 square feet of classrooms, specialized lab spaces, a data center and room for innovative technologies. The building also has a cybersecurity center with dedicated security simulation spaces and a technical support lab for students to seek advanced help during their studies.
Additionally, the facility will house several programs offered at SCC, including biotechnology, electronic systems, computer information technology and design and drafting.
“We believe this new facility to be one of the most advanced technological training centers in the nation, and we think this is going to be a wonderful step in solving that problem with the skilled workforce gap. It's a way for us to directly respond to the employee needs,” SCC president Paul Illich said.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday afternoon in a classroom at the new facility, Illich was joined by Gov. Jim Pillen and Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird to welcome SCC staff, business partners and community members to the space where hundreds of students will begin learning next week.
Community colleges in Nebraska, like SCC, are playing an “extraordinarily important” role in ensuring the state’s students are well equipped to enter the workforce, no matter the career they’re pursuing, Pillen said. The new technology center is a big step toward continuing that work, he added.
“We are creating extraordinary careers for our young people,” he said.
Currently, SCC has approximately 70 students graduate from its IT program each year, but the growing technology sector in the state is creating more need than the institution can fill, according to the college's website. The previous space for IT was too small — only about 11,000 square feet — and had no room to expand. There was insufficient lab space, no data center and hardly enough room for technology demonstration.
With the new technology center, however, the college will not only be able to offer students more opportunities, but can now grow the number of students it’s able to serve by about 40 percent, Illich said.
“We think there will be some pretty incredible opportunities with this new space,” he said.
The previous space for technology classes will soon be renovated and utilized for other departments.
The project has been in the works for more than three years, and ground was broken on the construction site in March 2023. Now, SCC is working to put the finishing touches on the building, like installing the final pieces of equipment, and will be ready to welcome the more than 700 students enrolled in the four programs housed within the facility when the semester begins on Monday.
The project was funded through several big sources, including $7 million in private donations, a $4.8 million workforce development grant from the city and a $5 million donation from Sandhills Global.
“We're really excited to be a part of this, and we look forward to seeing it grow,” said Scott McKinney, the chief information officer of Sandhills Global.
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