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Lincoln Trail College broke ground on an addition to the Zwermann Arts Center at a ceremony on December 1.
“This is obviously a very, very momentous, important occasion for Lincoln Trail College,” said Interim President Roger Eddy in his opening remarks.
The expansion to the Zwermann Arts Center will add a new choral room that doubles as a mid-sized lecture hall. It also includes additional practice rooms, an office, and storage space.
“This is going to be a wonderful addition to the campus,” said Lincoln Trail College Foundation Executive Director Rod Harmon. “We use the theater a lot for our fundraisers and we’re looking forward to seeing the new structure.”
Bill Thomas from the LTC Foundation also spoke during the ceremony. “One thing I want to say is that the Zwermann Arts Center and the programs put on here are a terrific conduit between this community, the whole county, and the college. More people come out here because of this, other than students than any other reason.”
Money for the project came through donations and Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Chancellor Dr. Ryan Gower recognized some of the key contributors. “For those of you who are not aware, as you look at a lot of the growth that has taken place at Lincoln Trail College over the past four years it's because of the generous support of the Lincoln Trail College Foundation. And in a lot of ways the support of Gladys Jones who gave us a significant gift from her estate.”
Gower said he’s excited about what this project represents. “This expansion is the first brick and mortar construction at Lincoln Trail since 1975. That's growth. But more important than the growth that this building physically represents, I want you to know how excited I am to see the growth at Lincoln Trail College and all the other ways as I look at the people who are here. Over the past four years, I've seen our faculty embrace new modalities new technology, new ways of reaching our students. That's growth. I've seen our faculty and staff recommit themselves to finding ways to build relationships with high schools, enroll students, help students persist, help students graduate and attain their professional goals. That's growth. So as excited as I am about the building a much more excited by what it represents which is the fact that Lincoln Trail College has got a new mindset that we're thinking to the future and we're growing to the future.”
Site work for the project is already underway. The construction of the new 3600 square foot addition should be complete in the early summer of 2021.
