The renovation of Van Lare Hall will allow administrators to move the college's nursing program into a facility with state-of-the-art technology in the classrooms.
With a $600,000 contribution from the Besser Foundation presented in January 2021, the Healthy Futures Start Here campaign is closer to realizing its goal of completing a total renovation of Van Lare Hall at Alpena Community College. The building, named after former ACC President Stanley Van Lare, was built in 1957 and currently houses multiple administrative offices and multi-purpose classrooms. When the project is completed, the remodeled structure will house the admissions office, a community space overlooking the Thunder Bay River, and high-tech classrooms for the nursing program.
Funding for the project has come from a variety of sources, according to a project update release from the college. In addition to the recent gift from the Besser Foundation, ACC generated nearly $850,000 for the project with the sale of college-owned property, and over 70 percent of college staff have pledged a combined total of around $40,000. All told, the Healthy Futures Start Here campaign has raised over $2.5 million. Alpena Community College has also secured from the state of Michigan a dollar-for-dollar match of funds up to $3.35 million.
Classrooms are being overhauled to include new technology and learning tools for nursing students, including the installation of realistic robotic manikins for hands-on learning. Students will have access to a variety of labs that will enable them to experience a variety of clinical settings. The nursing program classrooms, offices, and labs will occupy the east end of Van lare Hall, more quadrupling the space that the program currently utilizes in the Charles R. Donnelly Natural Resources Center. This expansion will allow the nursing program to double in size, graduating more nurses every year.