When I interviewed for the position of Vice President for Student Learning here in the spring of 2003, I spent an entire day at the college. I spoke with many different groups throughout the day, met one-on-one with the president, and toured the campus. While I greatly enjoyed meeting everyone at the college and discussing where NCCC was at the time (in bad shape) and how I might help get them back on the right track, I had a different opinion of the tour— the tour did not help convince me to work here.
At that time, the college was having building issues of a most extreme nature. While plenty of college campuses in the country need updating, this one had leaking roofs with standing water in the light fixtures, a 30-year-old-plus H.V.A.C. system, peeling paint, ball fields that would flood every storm, etc. There were cubicles in the main office with wires hanging down from the ceiling. The fire marshal declared the basement of the library, “The CAVE,” unsafe and we had to move people out. The science labs were old and tired with loud rusty air handling units chugging away during class. It was not great.
If the tour was not going to help convince me to work here, what impact is it having on our prospective students? Back then, our campus was a recruiting liability—not an asset.
But I did make the decision to take the job. I saw potential in the new president, the rejuvenated board of trustees, and all the wonderful people I met during the interview. It would take time, but with the right help and a lot of elbow grease, we could make our campuses an asset again.
That was 22 years ago and things have improved nearly everywhere you look—New science labs, updated classrooms, comfortable offices, metal roofs, a newer H.V.A.C. system, new softball field, turf for the baseball and softball fields, a new gym floor, revamping “The CAVE”, replacing the entire Ottawa campus, a new technical education building thanks in large part to the Mitchell Family, and coming at the end of summer, a new wellness center with special thanks to the Strahm Family!
But there was one major area on campus that is pretty much the same place I toured in 2003 – the auditorium. It was opened in 1968 and remains the same place in many ways it was then. You may know what I’m talking about because it is highly used.
Besides hosting our annual plays and concerts, student organization meetings and staff trainings, it is also a vital area for the community. We allow any non-profit or governmental agency to use the space free of charge for their community meetings and events. We have hosted dozens and dozens of groups in the auditorium over the years. You may have attended one of these events or meetings yourself! So, you may know what it is like now.
It has no scene shop to build the sets, so the theatre students build them on the grass outside the building (on nice weather days anyway). It has no “Green Room” except for a room across the hall that doubled as a storage room and toolshed. It doesn’t even have a lobby. You just enter through the hallway, so if you want to take tickets or give out programs you have to set up portable tables that do not get in the way of egress.
Paint is peeling. Some chairs are broken and others removed. There are no ADA accommodations at all as the building predated those requirements. The old sound system in the ceiling stopped working and the lights must be adjusted either by building scaffolding, or whacking the light with a long pole. It’s not great.
But all of that is about to change! Thanks to a magnificent lead gift from the Mih Family, the college is about to embark on a historic renovation and expansion of the auditorium to transform the space into the Mih Family Fine Arts Center. It will feature updated lighting, audio and video equipment, seating, curtains, and stage renovation, with a general facelift to the whole auditorium.
On the back of the renovated auditorium, we will be building a scene shop and green room for the students. No more waiting for the rain to stop to build the sets! On the front of the building will be a new lobby and reception center complete with a coat check area, courtyard, and event prep room. Outside renovations include a new drop-off lane and landscaping.
The project looks like it will cost about $5-6 million to design, build, and equip. We have already raised $3.4 million thanks to the Mih Family and many others who have already donated to the project, as well as some successful grants! We also received some funds from the State of Kansas for campus renovation that we are going to use for this project, so thank you to our area legislators for making that happen!
And just this month we received approval from the lieutenant governor’s office for $162k in tax credits for the project! Tax credits are pretty cool; Let’s say you make a donation of $1,000 towards the Mih Center in the form of “buying” a tax credit. NCCC receives the $1,000 from you. However, the State of Kansas will give you 70% of your donation back on your taxes. The Mih Center got $1,000, you get $700 off on your taxes, so you only paid $300 out of pocket. And every time you attend an event at the new center you will get a wonderful feeling of knowing you helped make it happen.
We have a donation plaque planned for the reception center, so you can say we are having a 70% off sale for a spot on the plaque! But only while supplies last, as they used to say in commercials. Contact Yvonne Hull at the NCCC Foundation for more information on purchasing those tax credits.
We hope to finalize the design of the Mih Family Fine Arts Center this summer and go out for bids for the contractor as the fall semester begins. The remodel of the old auditorium and construction of the additions will take about 12 months, weather and procurement permitting. With some luck, by late fall 2026 we may be celebrating a concert or play in the new center. It’s going to be amazing!
If you would like to contribute to the Mih Center project, please email me at [email protected] or contact Yvonne Hull at the Foundation Office at (620) 432-0408.
The college is far from the same place was as where I interviewed in 2003, and it won’t be the same place it is now in 2043. It will only get better thanks to a strong vision, hard work, and the right partners making it happen. I am so fortunate to continue to be a part of that journey making NCCC the best place it can be. I hope you join me in being proud of the new Neosho County Community College and are equally excited to see what the future holds!
If you have any questions about this column, stories about the past of the NCCC campus, or anything else, please contact me at [email protected].
