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Building on the foundation

Groundbreaking for new MCC student housing project held Thursday morning

By Robert Maharry 7 min read

As Marshalltown Community College (MCC) prepares to turn 100 years old in 2027, its leaders are reflecting on the institution's storied past while simultaneously looking toward its next century. On Thursday morning, they celebrated a key investment in the college's future by breaking ground on the construction of eight new townhouse style units that will add a total of 64 on-campus beds, and, perhaps best of all, students in MCC's construction management program will be heavily involved in the $2.5 million project working alongside instructors and professional contractors to complete it together.

With enrollment substantially increasing over the last few years, MCC currently has more students needing a place to live than available beds, and during his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Provost Matt Schmit highlighted the importance of housing as part of the larger educational experience.

"Housing matters," he said. "Ask any student who has spent a semester cycling the bus schedule to make an 8 a.m. class or split a dorm room meant for two people between three people... For a student deciding whether MCC can be home, housing is not an abstract issue. It's a part of whether college works."

Housing, he added, helps students participate in campus life, develop healthy habits and build relationships.

"When we talk about adding housing, we're really talking about creating more opportunity for kids to come here, stay here and succeed here in Marshalltown," Schmit said. "That is what this investment is for, and in MCC's 100th year, there's something really fitting about that."

A century later, Schmit touted the project as a testament to the college's continued growth and the success of the Marshalltown community as a whole, and he then passed the microphone to Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO John Hall, who was happy to be celebrating another "incredible thing" happening here.

"I get the good fortune of being at a lot of these kinds of things because we've got a lot of good things to celebrate right now, and this adds to the list," he said.

Hall also noted that the investment continued to build on the successful $32 million bond issue voters approved in 2019 and highlighted MCC as a key partner in ensuring that local employers can attract and retain the skilled workforce they need to succeed. Enrollment growth and the resulting housing need it creates, he said, is "a beautiful problem to have," and providing a place for students, especially those coming to MCC from outside of the area, helps to get them bought into the community at large and connected to local employers.

"Congratulations to MCC and Iowa Valley for this milestone that is a necessary component of what we're seeing here, and congratulations to the entirety of the Marshalltown community for this success," Hall said.

Up next was Iowa Valley Community College District (IVCCD) President Anne Howsare Boyens, who kicked off her speech by referencing the 100-year anniversary of MCC and the decision to make investments like the student housing project for the next 100 years.

"For 100 years, every generation associated with MCC has inherited something from the generation before it, and every generation has had a responsibility to add something of its own. This is our moment to do that," she said. "The buildings that will rise on this site are currently about meeting an immediate housing need, but they also represent a much larger commitment to the students who will come here in the years ahead. Some of these students are in high school today, some aren't even born yet, and yet the decisions that we make now will help determine the kind of experience waiting for them when they arrive. That is what makes this project more than housing."

It will create a student neighborhood organized around a shared green space and allow them to become part of a community, she added. Howsare Boyens was also excited that students would be learning by doing real work on their own campus while creating something that will serve students who come to MCC after them.

"Years from now, they will be able to come back, point to these buildings and say 'I helped build that.' There is something powerful in that," she said. "Because in one way or another, generations of people have been able to say the same thing about Marshalltown Community College. I helped build that. I taught here. I studied there. I hired graduates from there. I served on a board. I gave to a scholarship. I supported a program. I believed that having a strong community college mattered to this community. That is how an institution reaches 100 years, and that is how we will begin our next 100."

A private fundraising goal of $1 million has been set for the project as part of the "Building Together" campaign, and Howsare Boyens then welcomed Construction Technology Instructor Jake Bennett forward to share his perspective. Bennett commented that his students would be working the foundation, framing the walls, running the wiring and hanging the drywall.

"I've had students come into the program unsure if they belong in college. Six months later, they're reading blueprints, running a crew, showing up early and staying late so that they don't miss anything," he said. "This project is gonna take that and multiply it because for the first time, it's not practice. It's real, and someone's actually gonna live in it. So when people ask what the MCC construction program is about, it's about this right here."

From there, Schmit and Howsare Boyens unveiled a large conceptual rendering of the project, and it was time to break ground with a ceremonial shovel-tossing photo. After the dust had settled, the president, Bennett and Construction Technology student Jack Mason of Marshalltown spoke to the T-R about what it means to them.

"I think it's cool just to be able to be a part of it and doing something here on campus," Mason said. "It's cool to be improving the college."

He intends to remain in the construction business once he finishes his studies and someday own his own company. Bennett added that it's "a lot of fun" to watch students learn and have "lightbulb moments" where they realize what they are capable of achieving.

"I like working with them. These guys keep me young as far as that goes, so that part of it is a lot of fun," he said. "Just seeing them learn, honestly, it's been one of the more rewarding things I've ever done. It's one thing if I build it. It's equally as neat to teach somebody to build it."

If the demand for housing continues to grow, Howsare Boyens said similar projects could be on the horizon, and a series of events are planned on campus to commemorate the 100th anniversary of MCC in 2027. According to Bennett, the students plan to get to work on framing within the next few weeks, and he hopes to be calling on some of his former students to assist on future projects once they have started businesses of their own in the community. The HVAC, plumbing and electrical work will all be completed by local contractors.

Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.

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