Guam Community College

GCC to spend ARRA funding on new buildings, renovations

Guam Community College has plans for every cent of the $9.5 million it is slated to receive as part of Guam’s $83 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA funding, from the federal government.

The top two projects are a new Student Center to house student support services, tutoring labs and health services for GCC students. GCC expects to put this project out to bid within the next few weeks. Also, ARRA funding in the amount of $3.025 million will pay for the completion of the college’s new Learning Resource Center, which is currently under construction, thanks to a grant from the Asia American and Native Americans Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (ANAPISI) Program.

Other projects for which GCC is awaiting release of the $9.5 million include:

• Redundant Network & System Project (to provide immediate restoration of data)
• Northeast Parking Area Project
• Northwest Parking Area Project (both parking projects are necessary due to the college’s increased enrollment and expansion of programs offered)
• Building D Generator (Building D houses the college’s computer classes and its integrated administrative systems)
• Sungard Higher Education Software (to improve GCC’s Unified Digital Campus system)
• VoIP Telephone Systems Project (to enhance telephone services, which in the long run will decrease costs)
• GCC Automotive Paint Booth
• Buildings 500 and 600 Fire Sprinkler System Riser

“The ARRA funding is happening at a perfect time for the college, as our enrollment and our programs have both increased, and we need to expand our physical plant. Our new Learning Resource Center is being partially funded by ARRA money, and our new Student Center will be fully funded by ARRA money. These new facilities, and the upgrades being done with the rest of the ARRA money, will allow us to better serve our students, and allow them to concentrate on learning the skills they will need to be successful in the workplace,” said Dr. Mary Okada, GCC president. “That’s what we’re all about – getting people to be prepared for the workforce.”

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