Polk Community College held a legislative
briefing and officially opened the expanded Student Center. 
The
dual event was held Aug. 9 on the Winter Haven campus. All members
of the Polk County Legislative delegation attended or sent their
aides to the event.
PCC President J. Larry Durrence said the college continued its tradition of excellence this past year. "Community colleges do a remarkable job," he said. "We take average students- students who might get 900 or 850 on the SATs- and put them in small classrooms and teach them with dedicated teachers." These students graduate from PCC and transfer to state universities. Most of them get better grades than the students that started at the universities, the president said.
Dr. Durrence thanked the legislators for their support adding, "Quality education is expensive. We can't provide it without legislative support."
He
then turned his attention to officially opening the refurbished
and expanded Student Center. The $2.4 million project added an
additional 14,000 square feet to the building. The entire building
was refurbished. The 22,000 square foot facility now houses a
large banquet room, meeting rooms and offices, improved and expanded
food service and the PCC Bookstore has relocated into the remodeled
building.
Carol Platt, Chair of the District Board of Trustees, cut the ribbon. In attendance were the two past presidents of PCC: Fred T. Lenfestey and Maryly VanLeer Peck. Also on hand were project architects Straughn Trout Architects of Lakeland. They developed a design that features a raised center section with extensive use of glass, which bathes the interior of the building with sunlight. The Construction Manager for the project was Henkelman Construction, Inc.