Five Capital Investment Senate members and several staff members visited the Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids Campus, Wednesday, Oct. 14, to hear details about the college’s funding requests for the 2010 bonding bill.  The college welcomed Senate members: Steve Dille, Gary Kubly, Keith Langseth, Ann Lynch and Linda Schied as well as Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities, Al Johnson.

The visitors toured the college’s facilities and heard about three FY 2010 Bonding Projects at the college’s Coon Rapids Campus:

1. Phase II of the Fine Arts Building Renovation, which would be shovel ready by July 2010 . This phase would complete the Fine Arts Building Renovation project. The construction of Phase I, the Visual Arts Center, is currently underway and will be completed by March 2010.

2. Higher Education Asset Preservation and Replacement Projects.

3. Bioscience and Allied Health Addition, which would be shovel ready by August 2010. The new 35,000 square foot, two-level facility would include simulation labs for nursing, lab and classroom space for university offerings, classroom and lab space for the Biomedical Technology, Science, and Engineering programs. It will also allow the college’s Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program to return to campus. (It is currently located at the corner of Coon Rapids Blvd. and Round Lake Rd.)

“We appreciate the visit by the Senate Capital Investment Committee members and the time they took to review our facility,” says Dr. Patrick M.  Johns, President of Anoka-Ramsey Community College. “Their visit to our campus and support of our building projects shows these decision-makers are engaged and in touch with the needs of students.”

In FY 2008, Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids Campus received approximately $4.5 million in funding for the first phase of the Visual Arts Center, HVAC in the Humanities building and the schematic design of the Bioscience and Allied Health Addition.

During their visit, the senate members were informed about the tremendous growth in the programs effected by the bonding requests, such as:

• Art:  96.5 percent increase since 1999

• Music: 175 percent increase since 1999

• Theatre: 102.2 percent increase since 1999

•   Nursing and PTA: 41.1 percent increase since 1999

• Math: 52.3 percent increase since 1999

• Science (biology, chemistry and natural science): 90.3 percent increase since 1999

Overall, enrollment at both campuses of Anoka-Ramsey Community College has continued to climb in recent years. College wide this fall semester, enrollment increased 11.6 percent as compared to last fall term at the 30-day mark. The bulk of the increase is students 25 years old and older, which increased 52.6 percent this semester. Collectively, 9,210 students are currently attending the college.

“The need for higher education, particularly healthcare options and advanced-degree programs, continues to increase,” says Johns.  “Anoka-Ramsey is committed to responding to the educational needs of our changing communities in the northwest metro area and East Central Minnesota."

For more information about Anoka-Ramsey Community College, visit www.AnokaRamsey.edu or call 763-433-1315.

Anoka-Ramsey Community College President, Dr. Patrick M. Johns (far left) spoke with Capital Investment Senate members and several staff members who visited the college’s Coon Rapids Campus Oct. 14. Johns detailed the college’s funding requests for the 2010 bonding bill which includes Phase II of the Fine Arts Building Renovation, a Bioscience and Allied Health Addition and funding for facilities maintenance.