The 145,000-square-foot facility will be shared by both UHSSL and Wharton County Junior College (WCJC). It includes 44 classrooms, including five computer labs, along with nine science labs, 73 faculty offices, an exercise facility, bookstore and the WCJC enrollment services office. A School of Nursing suite will be shared by both institutions. The new construction also features a two-level, 150-seat auditorium and large multi-purpose room.&
A grand opening ceremony will get under way at 9 a.m., Wednesday, April 22. UH System Chancellor Renu Khator and WCJC President Betty McCrohan will join other area dignitaries on the speaker's podium. The event is by invitation only.
"Our grand new structure will allow Fort Bend-area students to fulfill virtually all their lower- and upper-level educational needs on a single campus should they wish to," Chancellor Khator said. "This building is an admirable example of successfully embracing the collaborative spirit in higher education."
Construction was paid for, in part, by a "Building Futures Together" community fundraising campaign, which included a $4 million gift from the George Foundation and a $3.5 million contribution from the City of Sugar Land as a longterm lease agreement for nearby UHSSL property.
Both UHSSL and WCJC have been experiencing steady enrollment growth, and some classes at the UHSSL teaching center were being held in temporary structures. Both institutions will begin offering classes in the new building this summer.
| WHAT: | Grand opening of new academic building at UH System at Sugar Land |
| WHEN: | 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 22 |
| WHERE: | UH System at Sugar Land, 1400 University Blvd., Sugar Land,Texas |
| WHO: | UH System Chancellor Renu Khator and Wharton County Junior College President Betty McCrohan |