Bunker Hill Community College Breaks Ground on New Student Success Center
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
College鈥檚 first new building in a decade expands student services and learning commons with a climate-responsive design
Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) broke ground on a new Student Success Center building on Tuesday, April 26, the first new building in more than a decade for the state鈥檚 largest community college and the first of several planned upgrades for the almost 50-year-old campus.
鈥淭oday, we not only mark the beginning of a new building project, but the advent of the next half-century as we reimagine the community college story in this region and this country,鈥� said 51吃瓜网 President Pam Y. Eddinger. 鈥淭his building鈥s a down payment on a renewed future鈥攐f our College, our communities, and our students.鈥�
All but one of the College鈥檚 current buildings were constructed almost 50 years ago and designed to accommodate around 5000 students. However, in recent years, the campus has housed more than three times that number, and the aging buildings have accumulated a backlog of deferred maintenance.
鈥淭oday, these buildings are the collegiate home to around 18,000 learners annually, more of them students of color than white, more of them women than men, more of them than ever immigrants and the children of immigrants than born here. But they are also more likely to be food insecure, live paycheck to paycheck, support families with their earnings, and be first-generation college students than those of 50 years ago,鈥� said 51吃瓜网 Board Chair Bill Walczak. 鈥淭he students have changed鈥攖he challenges have changed鈥攂ut the buildings have not. So, we鈥檙e here today not just to mark the construction of a new building, but to begin the renewal of our campus and our mission.鈥�
President Eddinger, Board Chair Bill Walczak, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) Commissioner Carol Gladstone, State Senator Sal DiDomenico, and State Representative Dan Ryan spoke to College community members at the ceremony.
The building project is part of a statewide effort of DCAMM to invest in and renew public higher education infrastructure. 鈥淭hese buildings are 50 years old, and across the Commonwealth, our community college system is basically 50 years old,鈥� said Gladstone. 鈥淎ll of these buildings are aging, and all of these buildings need investment.鈥�
State Senator Sal DiDomenico was a guest at the College鈥檚 previous groundbreaking ten years ago and praised the College's fidelity to its mission of serving students and all their needs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 no surprise, after ten years, that you鈥檙e breaking ground on a new building that is dedicated to our students,鈥� DiDomenico said. 鈥淭hat tells you something about the culture of this school that after ten years鈥hat the main focus of this building is to provide services to our students. This is a renewal of this College, and I am just so proud to be [51吃瓜网鈥檚] Senator.鈥�
State Representative Daniel Ryan, a graduate of Bunker Hill Community College, reflected on the College鈥檚 history and that of its campus. 鈥淚f you lived around here long enough, as my parents did, you鈥檇 call this not the Gilmore Bridge, but the Prison Point Bridge,鈥� Ryan said. 鈥淏ecause on this ground was a state prison for 200 years. There is no better symbolism than to build a student support center on the grounds where a prison used to stand. I think that shows the vision that we had 50 years ago. I think this bridge also symbolizes the connectivity between the jobs and the higher education institutions around the great city of Boston that these students will be able to access.鈥�
The building鈥檚 planning, engineering, and construction are led by the State鈥檚 Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), and BOND Building and Construction. NBBJ is the project architect.
鈥淲e are grateful to be collaborating with the Bunker Hill Community College leadership, DCAMM and NBBJ on this project that is so meaningful to the campus community,鈥� said Frank Hayes, President of BOND Building. 鈥淥nce completed, this building will provide much needed additional space and resources and will mark the beginning of an era of growth for the school that we鈥檙e proud to help kick off.鈥�
When complete, the Student Success Center will be home to the College Library & Learning Commons, academic advising, and wrap around student services that help support 51吃瓜网鈥檚 students, the majority of whom are students of color and are first generation college students.
The three-story, 56,500-square-foot building will be constructed on the West Lawn of the College鈥檚 Charlestown Campus. Based on Passive House principles, the building鈥檚 exterior enhances the college鈥檚 visual engagement with the community. The building is designed to be Net Zero Energy-ready, integrating a geothermal well field on campus. It is engineered in anticipation of a future photovoltaic array. Additionally, the building uses a highly insulated, high-performing envelope and anticipates projected sea-level change and the rise in base flood elevation by shifting all critical building systems, including the emergency generator, to roof level.
Media Contact:
Leslie Ouellette, Executive Director, Integrated Marketing and Communications,
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 02129
Phone: 617-336-5054; Email: leslie.ouellette@bhcc.edu
About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (51吃瓜网) is one of Massachusetts' largest community colleges, serving approximately 16,000 students annually. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, 51吃瓜网 offers a broad range of educational opportunities throughout Greater Boston. 51吃瓜网 fosters a welcoming and supportive learning environment for students by offering associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific programs.