A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the Mih Family Fine Arts Center was held at Neosho Community College on Thursday morning, Sept. 11.
NCCC Cheerleaders opened the ceremony with spirit, ahead of NCCC President Brian Inbody welcoming the crowd.
Inbody said this is one of the last places on campus to be renovated, and has been in the works for nearly two years. The project will renovate and modernize the existing theater, and construct new facilities including a 400-square-foot greenroom, a 1,300-square-foot scene shop, a 2,315-squarefoot gallery and event area, and a 1,300-square-foot courtyard, according to a Sept. 1 press release from NCCC.
The total bid from Loyd Builders consists of $5,655,900 for the base bid and an additional $95,700 for bid alternatives, which was approved by the NCCC Board of Trustees during the August meeting.
Inbody said that $4.1 million has already been raised by over 60 donors so far.
“Thank you so much, donors, for all you have done to help us get here today,” Inbody said.
Inbody highlighted the contributions of the Mih family in particular, whose lead gift is supporting the project.
Dr. Cathy Mih-Taylor and Dr. Alexander D. Mih, both NCCC alumni, made the donation to honor their parents, Dr. Alexander W.S. Mih and Mariam Mih. Mariam was a humanities instructor at NCCC and later served as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Inbody noted that the donation from the Mih family is the largest donation ever received by the college.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Chanute resident, and former NCCC yell leader, Matt Godinez, also spoke during the ceremony. He noted that the Community Service Tax Credit Program, which the college applied for to help fund this project, is highly competitive.
“Everyone in the town should be more than proud of what the college is able to pull off with this amazing project,” Godinez said.
Inbody then welcomed Sen. Virgil Peck to the podium. Inbody noted that nearly $600,000 in funding came from the deferred maintenance and capital improvement funds from the state.
Peck said he was honored to be a part of the ceremony and recalled that it was said that Americans would not be brought to their knees by the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
“I thought it rather interesting and rather beneficial that today we are having a groundbreaking to show that as Americans, we will continue to move forward,” Peck said.
He said he also thought about how many of the students on campus were not alive when those attacks happened, and that it was important to discuss one’s feelings about those attacks with the younger generation.
Peck said he has a deep regard for community colleges and noted that there are four community colleges within his district.
“I have told a lot of people many times that I think and believe in my heart that community colleges are the best value for the education dollar in the state of Kansas,” Peck said.
Peck also highlighted the value of the arts programs and what they bring to communities.
“I really believe we need to understand the value that having a meeting place for civic groups to meet, for nonprofit groups to meet, legislative groups, and functions to potentially use this facility once it’s fully operational,” Peck said. “And as it had been mentioned, the private funds that have been donated, the public funds, including some of the state and local partnerships to help get this facility built and moving forward — I think is a really good thing.”
Inbody then introduced Chris Bilby, a member of the NCCC Foundation. Bilby said the Mih Family often offered the three pillars of generosity: time, talent, and treasure.
“I’ve seen them give countless hours in the community, whether it’s serving on a board or a committee or helping with different events. I’ve also seen them take their talents and leave Chanute, and then come back to deliver babies, or fix people’s hands…” Bilby said. “And I’ve also seen them give their treasures, and that is what we are celebrating today.”
Bilby highlighted that this project will benefit the community and future generations of students.
Next to speak was Dr. Alexander D. Mih, who said NCCC is a vital resource for education, and that the college played a prominent role in the lives of the city, county, and surrounding area.
“Our parents were great supporters of the arts. After their passing, my sister and I considered how we might honor them in a way that would be beneficial to the college,” Mih said.
“The greatest need was clearly in the renovation and expansion of the auditorium, a venue in which we both spent considerable time during our years at the college. As we explored this project, it was very clear that Dr. Inbody shared our vision for an expanded fine arts center that would be a great enhancement to the college facilities, and would provide for greater opportunities for student engagement and community enrichment on this campus.”
Mih said this new facility will be a space for many types of events.
“Today, as we begin this project, we envision a fine arts center that will be used for music performance, drama presentation, art exhibition, lectures, conferences, and the surrounding community,” Mih said. “We are convinced that these opportunities will provide vast benefits for students and to the public. It’s a great privilege for our family to support this project in honor of our parents in partnership with Neosho County Community College.”
Inbody presented Mih and his sister, Dr. Cathy Mih-Taylor, with plaques to commemorate the occasion.
“Thank you for everything that you have done for this institution, and continue to do. Thank you so much,” Inbody said.
Then, representatives from NCCC, Loyd Builders, the Mih family, and state government participated in the official groundbreaking.
Inbody said construction will take roughly a year and is expected to be fully operational by Oct. 1, 2026.
Those interested in donating to the project can sponsor theater chairs by contacting the Neosho County Community College Foundation by emailing [email protected] or by calling 620-432-0408.
