Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon Portland Community College

This content was published: April 15, 2014. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

Southeast Center opens new Library, Student Commons facilities

Photos and Story by

April 11, 2014  
By Karen Kane

PCC President Jeremy Brown (center right) and company cut the ribbon on two new buildings at the Southeast Center.

PCC President Jeremy Brown (center right) cuts the ribbon on two new buildings at Southeast Center. Joining him are Denise Frisbee, PCC Board Chair (second from left) and Amanda Fritz, City of Portland Commissioner (right).

Portland Community College celebrated the completion of two new buildings at Southeast Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, April 11. Both the Library and Student Commons are now open for student use.

The project is part of the college’s 2008 voter-approved $374 million capital construction bond, which has earmarked $48 million to upgrade the center. “We are building a monument to community, a haven for learning, a point of pride for the neighborhood and a sign of great things to come for the southeast Portland”

See more photos and read the full story on the opening ceremony here.

PCC is transforming the Southeast Center into a comprehensive, full-service campus. In addition to 106,000 square feet between the new Student Commons and Library, Southeast features an existing 94,000 square feet of space in Mt. Scott and Mt. Tabor Halls. Renovations to the college-owned German-American building are also expected to be complete this summer. The historic structure, which was built in 1911 as nursing home for German-American seniors, will provide space for events, campus administration and Southeast’s Community Education staff.

secopenstudcommons

The new Student Commons at Southeast Center features an expanded bookstore, five science classrooms/labs, six general purpose classrooms, four career technical education/ computer classrooms, a new answer center for better student service delivery and a new center for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

For more information on the new buildings at Southeast, view this Bond Program Factsheet [pdf].

PCC’S 2008 voter-approved $374 million bond program is increasing opportunities for residents to access quality, affordable higher education close to where they live and work. Additional classrooms, updated equipment and technology, and advanced workforce training programs are helping to pave the way for future employment options. For more information, visit www.pcc.edu/about/bond/about

About Karen Kane

Karen Kane is the Community Relations Manager for the Sylvania Campus. A passionate storyteller and communicator, Karen has told the stories for several organizations in Portland, including the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the ... more »