Kaskaskia College held a Campaign Kick-Off and Groundbreaking Ceremony on Tuesday for the new “Kaskaskia College Nursing Education Center” to be built on the main campus near Centralia.  The new Center will house the Associate Degree Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant and Paramedicine Programs.  It will feature nursing labs designed with hospital-like spaces as simulation labs.  The plans include support areas such as a conference room, a large student commons space for group study as well as faculty and reception offices.  Six new classrooms will be fully equipped with instructional technology to enhance student learning, as two will expand to accommodate up to forty students and one classroom will be specifically equipped with computer workstations providing state-of-the-art computer-based scenarios and testing.  The State of Illinois’ transfer of the former Animal Disease Lab on the KC campus to the College allows for that building to be used as the Agriculture Education building, and the funds originally allocated for the agriculture building were re-allocated among the other projects.  This re-allocation is allowing for construction of the Nursing Education Center to be expedited.  The project is for a 17,750 square foot building to be constructed at a cost of $5.5 million, of which the KC Board of Trustees has allocated $5.3 million.  The remaining $500,000 for equipment and furnishings will be raised through private donations.  Tuesday’s event also served as the kick-off for that campaign.  Completion of the project is expected in June of 2015, with classes beginning in the fall of 2015.  Following the ceremony, an outdoor groundbreaking was held at the site of the new building.